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Features
- Rostov Veliky
- Yuri Gagarin
- Russian ice swimming
- Russian Souvenirs
- Volga Dream Cruise
- Soviet Disneyland
- The Russian Banya
- Russian Spring Pancakes
- Poor, paranoid Paul
- The secrets of Russian caviar
- Modern Russian Women
- Fabulous Faberge
- How Russians Say I do
- Caucasian cuisine – A taste of the South
- The History of Russian Railways
- Stalin's Seven Sisters
More features:
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Fabulous Faberge
Today Faberge eggs are without doubt the most famous and expensive Easter eggs in the world.... -
The Russian Banya
With winter arriving late, the In Your Pocket Editors hunt for indoor winter entertainment and recommend ice-skating and the essential experience of the Russian banya.... -
How Russians Say I do
As a tourist in St. Petersburg, it is sometimes difficult to avoid falling over the brides hovering around the city’s tourist sights posing for photos.... -
Poor, paranoid Paul
Pushkin once called Paul the first, the Romantic Emperor, but readers may know of Paul (Pavel in Russian) as Poor Pavel.... -
Russian ice swimming
It’s minus 15 degrees outside on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Some Russians may take this time to enjoy a nice warm cup of tea in a café or perhaps a bracing walk in the park to enjoy the sunshine.... -
Yuri Gagarin
One of the most important heroes of modern times, the first man in space, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, spent a large part of his life as a hardworking student, before being thrust into international superstardom when he was launched into space on April 12 1961.... -
Rostov Veliky
A hidden gem of the Golden RingText and photos by Louise Whitworth This tiny lakeside town, around three hours from Moscow along the route between Sergiev Posad and Yaroslavl, is a far too often over-looked gem of Russia's Golden Ring of medieval towns and villages.... -
Stalin's Seven Sisters
Poor old Stalin. After the defeat of the Nazis in 1945, legend has it he was convinced that everyone in the world would now want to visit Moscow.... -
Soviet Disneyland
Soviet DisneylandIf there were such thing as a Soviet Disneyland, Moscow’s VDNKh (pronounced VDN-hah) district would be it.... -
Volga Dream Cruise
All AboardModern cruising is all about the size of your ship, with ocean-liners becoming small cities filled with casinos, swimming pools, bowling alleys and bars.... -
Russian Spring Pancakes
Maslenitsa (Pancake week) is the only purely Russian Holiday that dates back to the pagan times. This is the time when people say goodbye to the long-annoying winter and welcome in the long-awaited spring.... -
Russian Souvenirs
MatrioshkasRussian dolls are the quintessential Russian souvenir. Usually painted with the cute faces of a Russian girl or stylised family, you can also get them painted with dictators of the world, former US presidents or even just left plain to paint yourself.... -
The History of Russian Railways
If Russia had no trains, what would Tolstoy have done with Anna Karenina? How would Lenin have returned to Russia in April 1917, sent back, as Churchill said, in ‘a sealed train like a plague bacillus’? On October 30 Russia celebrates the 170th anniversary of the opening of the first public railway....
Modern Russian Women
These relentlessly ambitious and hugely successful Russian women are role models for their contemporaries. Combining hard work, ingenuity and style, Russia is proud to have produced them. Women's Day provides an opportunity to celebrate all Russian women and reflect on how much has changed since the beginning of the twentieth century when the Bolsheviks claimed that Russian women were oppressed and traditional. Through acts of courage and determination, these women have made themselves leaders in their respective fields.These relentlessly ambitious and hugely successful Russian women are role models for their contemporaries. Combining hard work, ingenuity and style, Russia is proud to have produced them. Women's Day provides an opportunity to celebrate all Russian women and reflect on how much has changed since the beginning of the twentieth century when the Bolsheviks claimed that Russian women were oppressed and traditional. Through acts of courage and determination, these women have made themselves leaders in their respective fields.
Maria Sharapova – Her impressive ranking as tennis’ loudest grunter, screeching in at 101.2 decibels, is just the beginning. At the tender age of nineteen, she is the world's best female tennis player. Nicknamed the ‘tennis princess’ because of her raunchy on-court outfits, she was born in Nyagan in the Siberian region and has been playing tennis since she was four. Her place in the gallery of admirable Russian women was earned through grit and sheer determination. Packed off to American camp aged seven after being ‘spotted’, Sharapova was separated from her mother for two difficult years. Turning professional aged 14, she struggled up the rankings before achieving a real breakthrough at Wimbledon 2004, beating the fearsome Serena Williams in straight sets. A real fighter, she apparently draws strength and discipline from yoga, and her life is so full she has minimal time for the pursuit of men. As the world’s highest-paid female athlete, she combines sporting talent with beauty and business ingenuity. Moreover, capitalizing on her 188cm height and award-winning celebrity smile (yes, such an award really was given by an American Dentistry body in December 2006), she enjoys numerous lucrative commercial endorsement deals.
Valentina Matvienko – Her steely will and powerful ambition have inspired the nickname ‘Valentina the Great’ after Russia’s great eighteenth century reformer, Catherine. Matvienko is modern Russia’s most prominent female politician, a particular favourite of President Vladimir Putin and St. Petersburg’s very own Governor. She combines extensive education and massive political prestige with motherhood and an enviable sense of style. Born in 1949 in the town of Shepetovka in the Ukraine, after University in (then) Leningrad she began her unfaltering journey up the governmental ladder. Nominated for Presidency for a brief moment in 2000, she withdrew her campaign on Putin’s dictate, instead becoming the head of St. Petersburg’s City Administration. Now a modernising force to be reckoned with, as Governor she is passionately heightening the city’s profile, moving capital functions to what is now dubbed her ‘fiefdom’. The headstrong lady, who is married with one son, maintains her own style, with a particular penchant for Italian shoes. Interestingly, she may also be a budding artiste: the sale of her painting ‘A Hedgehog under a Christmas tree’ at a charity auction fetched 2.21million Rbl.
Uliana Lopatkina – Critic Vadim Gayevski famously called Lopatkina 'a gift from God'. Adored and treasured by Russian and international audiences alike, the Mariinsky’s prima ballerina is the epitome of grace. A story of self-made success, she was born in 1973 in the Ukraine, where her parents worked in shipyards on the coast. Aged only nine she was accepted into the prestigious Academy of Ballet in (then) Leningrad and moved away from home. Joining the Kirov Ballet in 1991 (which later became the Mariinsky Ballet) she was appointed its principle ballerina in 1995. She is a dream ballerina: tall, willowy and svelte with an innate sense of rhythm and intelligence. Her varied repertoire, including Swan Lake, La Bayadere and Raymonda have earned her many honours. In 2000 she was bestowed the Honoured Artist of Russia Award and in 2005, the People’s Artist of Russia Award. Married to writer Vladimir Kornev, they have a daughter, Masha.
Ludmila Ulitskaya – One of Russia’s most important living writers, Ulitskaya fictional literary work has attracted widespread acclaim and enhanced the reputation of female Russian authors. Born in Bashkira in the Ural region in 1943, Ulitskaya trained as a biologist at Moscow State University. Originally working as a literary consultant for a Jewish theatre, in the early 1990’s she penned scripts for two films, ‘The Liberty Sisters’ and ‘A Woman For All’. Her first collection of short stories, ‘Sonechka’, presenting an array of unique heroines, was published in 1992 and was an instant success with the public and critics alike, short-listed for the Russian Booker award. Her ‘Kukotsky's Case’, about a generations-deep family saga, won the said award in 2002. With a shrewd style, both poignant and funny, her characterizations dispel stereotypes about Russian women. Her work is now translated into more than 25 languages.
Ksenia Sobchak – Watch out, Paris Hilton. Russia’s first ‘It-girl’, regularly appearing in skimpy glamorous attire on the pages of celebrity magazines, is more than just a pretty face. The daughter of the late well-connected former mayor of St. Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak, Ksenia embodies the idea of having it all. She is an idol for many urban Russian women. The presenter of Russia’s hit reality television programme, ‘Dom-2’, she is a close friend of Putin and has recently established a political youth movement encouraging young people to assert their rights. She academic too, having been educated in International Relations at Moscow State University. What’s more, she also appeared in a film in 2004 entitled ‘Thieves and Prostitutes’ about her own childhood. A devout fashionista, she last year launched a collection of boots. She is admittedly no stranger to controversy, but many find her energy for life infectious.
Maria Sharapova – Her impressive ranking as tennis’ loudest grunter, screeching in at 101.2 decibels, is just the beginning. At the tender age of nineteen, she is the world's best female tennis player. Nicknamed the ‘tennis princess’ because of her raunchy on-court outfits, she was born in Nyagan in the Siberian region and has been playing tennis since she was four. Her place in the gallery of admirable Russian women was earned through grit and sheer determination. Packed off to American camp aged seven after being ‘spotted’, Sharapova was separated from her mother for two difficult years. Turning professional aged 14, she struggled up the rankings before achieving a real breakthrough at Wimbledon 2004, beating the fearsome Serena Williams in straight sets. A real fighter, she apparently draws strength and discipline from yoga, and her life is so full she has minimal time for the pursuit of men. As the world’s highest-paid female athlete, she combines sporting talent with beauty and business ingenuity. Moreover, capitalizing on her 188cm height and award-winning celebrity smile (yes, such an award really was given by an American Dentistry body in December 2006), she enjoys numerous lucrative commercial endorsement deals.
Valentina Matvienko – Her steely will and powerful ambition have inspired the nickname ‘Valentina the Great’ after Russia’s great eighteenth century reformer, Catherine. Matvienko is modern Russia’s most prominent female politician, a particular favourite of President Vladimir Putin and St. Petersburg’s very own Governor. She combines extensive education and massive political prestige with motherhood and an enviable sense of style. Born in 1949 in the town of Shepetovka in the Ukraine, after University in (then) Leningrad she began her unfaltering journey up the governmental ladder. Nominated for Presidency for a brief moment in 2000, she withdrew her campaign on Putin’s dictate, instead becoming the head of St. Petersburg’s City Administration. Now a modernising force to be reckoned with, as Governor she is passionately heightening the city’s profile, moving capital functions to what is now dubbed her ‘fiefdom’. The headstrong lady, who is married with one son, maintains her own style, with a particular penchant for Italian shoes. Interestingly, she may also be a budding artiste: the sale of her painting ‘A Hedgehog under a Christmas tree’ at a charity auction fetched 2.21million Rbl.
Ksenia Sobchak – Watch out, Paris Hilton. Russia’s first ‘It-girl’, regularly appearing in skimpy glamorous attire on the pages of celebrity magazines, is more than just a pretty face. The daughter of the late well-connected former mayor of St. Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak, Ksenia embodies the idea of having it all. She is an idol for many urban Russian women. The presenter of Russia’s hit reality television programme, ‘Dom-2’, she is a close friend of Putin and has recently established a political youth movement encouraging young people to assert their rights. She academic too, having been educated in International Relations at Moscow State University. What’s more, she also appeared in a film in 2004 entitled ‘Thieves and Prostitutes’ about her own childhood. A devout fashionista, she last year launched a collection of boots. She is admittedly no stranger to controversy, but many find her energy for life infectious.