Russia Today

The Ploshchad Revolyutsii, or Revolution Square, is one of the most famous stations of the Moscow Metro built during the Soviet Union. Opened in March 1938, the Moscow Metro encompasses 12 lines and 196 stations, which is 204 miles (328 km) of track in total. Since Moscow is a radial city with concentric zones, parts of the metro go in a loop. This makes the metro map look really cool! 

Moscow's metro stations were built with the intention of being 'palaces for the people'. Their marble walls, chandelier lighting, and other precious materials make the interiors resemble palaces or cathedrals, as opposed to practical transport hubs. 

Metro stations are indicated with a large, red “M” and are located, as you can guess, underground. Passengers pay the same fare per ride regardless of distance and can purchase many rides on a single transport card. 

Each arch in the Ploshchad Revolyutsii is adorned by a pair of bronze sculptures by Matvey Manizer. They depict the people of the Soviet Union as farmers, soldiers, athletes, writers, aviators, industrial workers, and schoolchildren. There are a total of 76 sculptures in the station.

Russian people believe that rubbing some special parts of the bronze statues in the station will bring them good luck. This hen is shiny and worn out because so many people have rubbed it for good luck. 

At the Central Market in Ulan Ude you can find almost everything: food, clothes, household supplies, and equipment. This is the meat section of the market where there are rows and rows of fresh and local meat products. Let’s have a look around.

Although all kinds of the latest technology is readily available in Russia, instead of using an industrial scale, this meat counter still uses traditional scales and hand calculators for its business. 

Kolbasa is a type of Russian sausage made from ground meat and wrapped in a special casing. During soviet times, kolbasa was difficult to come by. Today, it is available in many varieties and in various forms in the meat markets of Russia. 

Common Russian meat dishes include: Pelmeni, dough wrapping a savory meat filling, Kholodets, a meat dish set in gelatin made from a meat stock or consommé, and Chicken Kiev, pounded chicken breast rolled around seasoned butter. 

The Russian currency is called the Ruble (RUB) and has been used since the time of the Russian Empire (1721-1917). This woman is paying for her purchase in rubles. In Russia, it is also customary to pay tip for various services. 

MUZEON Park of Arts (formerly called the Park of the Fallen Heroes) is not only a place for preserving historical artifacts, but also an open-air contemporary art museum, a special exhibition space, a music festival venue, and a massive creative workshop.

It is the largest open-air sculpture museum in Russia, with more than 700 artworks currently on display and another 200 in storage. There are a half a million visitors every year. 

The MUZEON displays the works of avant-garde sculptors, which were not displayed under the soviet regime, because they did not fit in the official art form of that time. This sculpture reads “Soviet Stronghold of Peace.”

Joseph Stalin led the Soviet Union from 1922 from 1953. He transformed the nation from a peasant society into an industrial and military superpower. Although he was a highly controversial figure because of human rights abuses, Stalin was surprisingly nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Alexei Kosygin was a Soviet statesman during the Cold War. In 1964, Kosygin and Leonid Brezhnev became Premier and First Secretary respectively. They were members of the newly established collective leadership in the Soviet Union.

Leonid Brezhnev was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982. During his rule, the Soviet military was expanded resulting in a dramatic growth in global influence of the the Soviet Union. 

Russia’s breakthrough in the world’s professional skateboarding scene started with Maxim Kruglov’s win at the 2013 Simple Session in Estonia, beating top Europeans and Americans in the sport. Since the late 2000’s, Russia has seen a boom in the construction of skate parks and skate gear sales. 

This is the interior of a 2nd class train car on the longest railway in the world: the Trans Siberian Railway. It is traveling from Moscow to the Russian Far East town of Vladivostok--a distance of 5,772 miles (9,289 km). It is about the same distance as going from America’s east coast to the west coast--round trip!

Russian trains usually have 3 classes of travel: Platskartny, Kupé, and 
Spalny Vagon. Platskartny (3rd class) has open dormitory cars. Kupé (2nd class) has 4-berth (bed) compartments. Finally, Spalny Vagon (1st class) has 2-berth compartments and offers the most privacy.

Whatever the class of service, passengers have their own bunk bed. The 3rd class train car does not have cabins so it is like an open dormitory. Passengers and train staff have many interactions with each other and become well acquainted.

Throughout the journey, passengers will make several stops in small towns and cities. Passengers often bring with them tea, hard boiled eggs, bread, instant noodles and coffee, and smoked fish. Trains cars also boast nice restaurants and service for passengers.

A Trans-Siberian train will pass through 7 time zones, which is a world record. However, in Russia all timetables, station clocks and train clocks remain in Moscow time, while in Mongolia and China they revert to local time.