Gateway to Russia

English Español Français Português 日本語 Српски 汉语 Русский

Culture & History

Culture Lifestyle Science & Tech Travel History Russian Kitchen The Most Russian American

Learn Russian

Your Russian Course Russian Language Playground

Useful information

Basic facts Plan your trip Visa help

History ‘Ofeni’: The traveling salesmen of Tsarist Russia who invented criminal jargon

They not only traded icons, books, fabrics, ribbons, pins, jewelry and tableware. They also invented an unofficial language, the words of which some Russians still use today.

History How Nicholas II's mistress once sued Lenin… & won

Ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska was not only the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater, but also a socialite, known for her affairs with several grand dukes.

Culture 4 legendary fashion designers who visited the USSR (PHOTOS)

The red country of the Soviets captivated the imagination of famous couturiers with its unique aesthetic. Many of them even traveled behind the Iron Curtain to Moscow, befriended Soviet celebrities and created collections inspired by their trips.

History Is it true that German prisoners of war built luxury housing in the USSR after WWII?

"It's immediately obvious – German quality!" This is a phrase one hears today in Russia about the houses built by German prisoners of war immediately after the end of World War II.

History How did a Russian bell end up in… British captivity? (PICS)

During the Crimean War, a British squadron besieged the Solovetsky Monastery. The monastery itself suffered no significant damage during the nine-hour attack. However, the British managed to capture one prisoner.

Travel Moscow from above through the lens of Slava Stepanov (PHOTOS)

Moscow-City skyscrapers, ancient churches and Soviet monuments: urban photographer Slava Stepanov showcases a city of contrasts and architectural masterpieces.

Culture 15 PHOTOS by Igor Palmin, a remarkable Soviet photographer

Igor Palmin's (1933-2025) creative style was inspired by avant-garde and modernist art movements. His photographic method was shaped by the influence of unofficial Soviet art, which he chronicled via his shots. Take a look at some of his iconic photos below.

Russian Language Playground

Education

Why a spoon 'lies' and a cup 'stands' on the table! (VIDEO)

Gateway to Russia (Photo: AntonioGuillem/Getty Images)

Education

Why do Russians love acronyms SO much?

Kira Polyudova

Education

Russian picture dictionary: In the hotel room

Education

Untranslatable Russian: 'Подвиг' (VIDEO)

Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: H. Armstrong Roberts/Retrofile, Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library/Getty Images; Valentin Cheredintsev/Sputnik)

Education

What does the expression «to wash someone’s bones» mean?

Kira Polyudova (Photo: Public Domain, Unsplash)

Education

Overlooked Russian greats: Ilf, Ilya & Petrov, Yevgeny

Russian Literature

House-Museum of Mikhail Prishvin

How writer Mikhail Prishvin built the first Soviet motorhome (PHOTOS)

Culture Club / Getty Images

How Vladimir Mayakovsky once wrote a script for a French film

Yuri Kushevsky (CC BY-SA 4.0)

5 most QUOTED works of Russian literature

10 reasons why Pushkin is so great

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

Anna Sorokina

Travel

What's inside the most BEAUTIFUL house in old 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

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

Anna Sorokina

Is it true that a Russian emperor staged his own death & became a hermit? (VIDEO)

TASS reproduction

The first women heroes of the Soviet Union (PHOTOS)

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)

The Most Russian American

How to buy a subway ticket in Moscow (VIDEO)

How a Frenchman became a farmer in Russia (VIDEO)

Ramil Gumerov

Can you walk from the U.S. to… Russia? (VIDEO)

Bringing ice cream to Sochi: How an Italian built a big business in Russia (VIDEO)

More stories

The State Tretyakov Gallery

‘Ofeni’: The traveling salesmen of Tsarist Russia who invented criminal jargon

Gateway to Russia. Photo: Alexander Demyanchuk/TASS / Sputnik

How Nicholas II's mistress once sued Lenin… & won

Alexander Kislov, Natalya Nosova

In Russian, handwritten text is often very different from printed text

Public domain

How did Russian troops end up… in Holland?

Gateway to Russia (Photo: Mondadori/Getty Images, Sputnik, AI / chatgpt)

Why did the Nazis claim that the Russians were firing ‘barns’ during World War II?

Gateway to Russia (Photo: AntonioGuillem/Getty Images)

Why do Russians love acronyms SO much?

Why a spoon 'lies' and a cup 'stands' on the table! (VIDEO)

Gateway to Russia (Photo: Moscow State University Lomonosov Scientific Library + letopis.msu.ru, Sputnik)

How an enemy of the Bolsheviks became a renowned Soviet oceanographer

YT/mezenin1234

The aesthetics of the Russian swamp! (VIDEO)

Andrei Sorokin / Sputnik

10 MAIN dishes of YAKUTIA (PHOTOS)

Untranslatable Russian: 'Подвиг' (VIDEO)

Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: H. Armstrong Roberts/Retrofile, Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library/Getty Images; Valentin Cheredintsev/Sputnik)

What does the expression «to wash someone’s bones» mean?

Soviet troops fought on Harley-Davidsons in World War II! (VIDEO)

VK/Александр Михайленко

This video will literally take your breath away! (VIDEO)

Kira Lisitskaya (Photo: Archive photo; Public domain)

How did a Russian bell end up in… British captivity? (PICS)

Kira Polyudova (Photo: Public Domain, Unsplash)

Overlooked Russian greats: Ilf, Ilya & Petrov, Yevgeny

Gateway to Russia (Photo: Fredrich Baker/Conde Nast, Patrick McMullan, John Downing, PICOT/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images, N.Rakhmanov/Sputnik )

4 legendary fashion designers who visited the USSR (PHOTOS)

Timofey Melnik/russiainphoto.ru

Is it true that German prisoners of war built luxury housing in the USSR after WWII?

@tomrus

Urban textures of St. Petersburg (VIDEO)

Slava Stepanov

Moscow from above through the lens of Slava Stepanov (PHOTOS)

About the project Personal data processing policy Terms of Use

"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.

16+