Gateway to Russia

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Useful information

Basic facts Plan your trip Visa help

Visa help Who can travel to Russia visa-free in 2025?

Russia has a visa-free agreement with many countries; however, there are certain restrictions on the length of stay.

Travel 10 ideas for a WINTER trip to Russia (PHOTOS)

Already dreaming of snow and cold? Then, here's what you absolutely have to do in Russia during winter for the full immersion!

History Why was Soviet leader Gorbachev awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

During his rule, the Soviet Union drastically changed its political course and then ceased to exist altogether.

Culture 5 must-know facts about Mikhail Lermontov, Russia’s ‘second’ greatest poet

In the pantheon of Russian literature, the writer who tragically died young is sure to stand somewhere next to Pushkin, whom he revered.

Lifestyle Benoît from Belgium: ‘In Russia I feel better than in Europe’

Belgian brewer Benoît De Witte first came to Russia 20 years ago. Moscow impressed him, but didn't captivate so much. But, Siberia and Baikal did and he stayed here.

History 5 facts about the ‘Slavic Bazaar’ – Moscow's FIRST restaurant (PHOTOS)

It became a setting in works by Mikhail Bulgakov and Anton Chekhov, while Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, after an 18-hour conversation in the restaurant, founded the Moscow Art Theater in it.

Culture How Viktor Tsoi influenced the author of ‘Johnny Mnemonic’

William Gibson, the “father of cyberpunk” and author of ‘Johnny Mnemonic’, ‘Neuromancer’, and ‘Hotel New Rose’ among others, recently admitted that his work was influenced by… Russian musician Viktor Tsoi!

Culture Why was this Russian master called the ‘Stradivarius of balalaika makers’?

In his lifetime, Semyon Nalimov made about 300 balalaikas and domras and each instrument was a masterpiece of musical art.

History How Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky fought in World War I & the Russian Civil War

He endured all the hardships of battle: he went hungry during difficult retreats and breakthroughs from encirclement and was seriously wounded several times.

Russian Language Playground

Kirill Zykov / Sputnik

Education

Who is studying Russian abroad in 2025 & why?

Gateway to Russia (Photo: Bernhard Lang/Getty Images)

Education

Gender – one of the most mysterious grammatical categories in the Russian language

Education

Untranslatable Russian: 'Toska' (VIDEO)

Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: Shannon Fagan, Softulka/Getty Images; freepik.com)

Education

Who is ‘Curious Varvara’ and why was “her nose torn off”?

Kira Polyudova (Photo: Public Domain)

Education

Overlooked Russian greats: Vavilov

Legion Media

Education

Sevastopol in 3 Russian words

Russian Literature

Leo Tolstoy State Museum

10 MAIN hobbies of Leo Tolstoy (PHOTOS)

Yuri Kushevsky (CC BY-SA 4.0)

5 most QUOTED works of Russian literature

Gateway to Russia (Photo: benedek/Getty Images; Legion Media)

5 Russian cities named after famous writers (PHOTOS)

Legion Media

5 museums dedicated to Russian writers outside of Russia

Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: Public domain; CSA Images/Getty Images; Tretyakov Gallery)

100 MAIN Russian books that everyone should read

Best of Russia

Cafe Pushkin; Russian Pub

Russian Kitchen

10 BEST Russian cuisine restaurants in Moscow

Gateway to Russia (Photo: Polinmr/Getty Images)

Lifestyle

Where to find 'Gateway to Russia' on social media

Gateway to Russia (Photo: Public domain)

Culture

10 BEST examples of Art Deco style in Soviet architecture

saiko3p / Getty Images

Travel

10 must-visit places in Sochi & beyond (PHOTOS)

Gateway to Russia (Photo: Russian Classes; TimKirbysTravel; Think Slavic)

Lifestyle

4 social media accounts recommended by ‘Gateway to Russia’

Getty Images

Basic facts

34 incredible UNESCO sites located in Russia (PHOTOS)

Russian Cinema

Gateway to Russia (Photo: nekonome/Getty Images, Mosfilm/Legion Media)

5 movies in which FALL is one of the main ‘characters’

P. Arsenov/The film studio named after Gorky, 1985

10 BEST Soviet & Russian movies about school

Studios ProLine Film/TASS

7 screen adaptations of Soviet science fiction writers Arkady & Boris Strugatsky

Sputnik

8 UNDERRATED Soviet movies

KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images

10 Russian movies that won awards at Cannes

Russia 101

Alexander Kislov (Photo: Freepik.com)

Plan your trip

The MOST important phone numbers, addresses & websites for your trip to Russia

Legion Media

Visa help

How to get a Russian visa in Canada

Shatokhina Natalia/news.ru / Global Look Press

Plan your trip

Why foreigners need to submit biometric data in Russia & how

Ilya Pitalev / Sputnik

Plan your trip

Who needs to register in the ‘ruID’ app for trips to Russia & how?

beast01 / Getty Images

Plan your trip

When & where does a foreigner need to present their passport in Russia?

ampueroleonardo / Getty Images

Plan your trip

How to travel across Russia: A guide for foreign tourists

History

Gateway to Russia (Photo: Public domain)

6 Polish generals who gave their lives for Russia (PICS)

Public Domain

Why did Germans take part in Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812?

Medieval time machine activated! (VIDEO)

Alexander Brodsky/Sputnik

How the Red Army fought for Crimea in World War II (PHOTOS)

The Defense of Sevastopol Museum

Mount Sapun: The most HEROIC place in Sevastopol

The Most Russian American

Italy didn’t live up to expectations: going back home to Russia (VIDEO)

Chef without borders: how a syrian found a home in Sochi (VIDEO)

Is it safe in Russia? (VIDEO)

River transport in Moscow (VIDEO)

More stories

What do Russian bookstores look like? (VIDEO)

Kirill Zykov / Sputnik

Who is studying Russian abroad in 2025 & why?

Gateway to Russia (Photo: Bernhard Lang/Getty Images)

Gender – one of the most mysterious grammatical categories in the Russian language

The largest helicopter in the world! (VIDEO)

Public domain

How did Peter the Great, the first Russian emperor, die?

Recraft.ai

Phrases you should never say to Russian men! (VIDEO)

olgaIT / Getty Images

10 ideas for a WINTER trip to Russia (PHOTOS)

How to say ‘Hello’ in Russian! (VIDEO)

vk.com/visit_norilsk

Imagine SUP-boarding in the Far North! (VIDEO)

Anna Sorokina

Why did Russians riot because of… potatoes? (VIDEO)

Untranslatable Russian: 'Toska' (VIDEO)

Fall colours of Amur (VIDEO)

Tretyakov gallery

‘Russian Fairy tales’ by Vladimir Dahl

Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: Shannon Fagan, Softulka/Getty Images; freepik.com)

Who is ‘Curious Varvara’ and why was “her nose torn off”?

Getty Images

How Moscow was nearly renamed in honor of Stalin!

Federal State Budgetary Cultural Institution «Yu. A. Gagarin Museum-Reserve»; Alexander Sergeev, Yuri Somov, Valentin Cheredintsev, Igor Snegirev/Sputnik

Learning the passions of the first man in space!

David P. Hilss / Getty Images

Male and Female Voices Divided by Train in Moscow (VIDEO)

VK/tsarskoe_selo_museum

Meet Tsarskoye Selo's cutest resident! (VIDEO)

Cafe Pushkin; Russian Pub

10 BEST Russian cuisine restaurants in Moscow

Kira Polyudova (Photo: Public Domain)

Overlooked Russian greats: Vavilov

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"Gateway to Russia” - a project by ANO “TV-Novosti”, 2025. © All rights reserved.
Created with the financial support of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation.

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