After just over 30 minutes of daylight, locals were eager to share their excitement with the rest of the world, leading to this collection of images from the past hours.
A natural phenomenon called polar night occurs when regions within the Arctic Circle descend into darkness for more than 24 hours. Russia’s Arctic port of Murmansk sees no sunlight for 40 days between Dec. 2 and Jan. 11.
Local residents traditionally gather at the city’s highest point on the last day of the polar night to witness the first rays of the sun rising above the horizon.
This year was no exception, with social media users and local television stations huddling at “Solnechnaya Gorka” (“Sunny Hill” in Russian) to observe the year’s first sunrise.
A massive dry port has been built near the border between Kazakhstan and China.
This overland port is meant to develop a new trade route between east and west. Called Khorgos Gateway, it will allow bringing Chinese exports to markets in Europe, Russia, and Central Asia faster.
(Pravda.ru) – The German press came to the conclusion that Russia’s Zircon missile sea-launched complex represents a real threat to warships of different countries.
According to Stern, hypersonic cruise missile Zircon 3M22 will become the main weapon of the Russian navy. The missile has a range of about 600 kilometers and is capable of reaching speeds six times the speed of sound.
German experts also recalled the modernisation of the Russian battle cruisers Admiral Nakhimov and Peter the Great, which are said to be armed with state-of-the-art S-500 air defence systems and Caliber cruise missiles.
The Zirkon missile will enable the Russian fleet to destroy almost any foreign warships. The missile also poses a particular danger to US aircraft carriers.
The Zircon has been under development since 2011. The speed of the missile will reach nearly 7,500 kilometres per hour. In two and a half minutes, it will cover a distance of up to 250 kilometres. No system in the world can intercept a missile flying at such a speed. For example, British missile defences can shoot down missiles at speeds of up to 3,700 kilometers per hour.
Professor Stephen F. Cohen is that “villain” who dared talk about Russia and Russians without demonizing them, and he just gave a speech called “Rethinking Putin”!
The inhumanity! How dare those pesky academics urge people to think! He had the nerve to imply people should not only think…but they should rethink! What kind of free world do we live in where academics are encouraging people to think without demonizing the enemy of the deep state. What next…people will start asking questions!?! And what will that lead to…asking more questions…or worse…Questioning More! (That was just a little bit of sarcasm if you couldn’t tell.)
In all seriousness, we highly recommend you check out his speech. Cohen is an American professor, so while he is an expert, that does not mean he represents Russia. Russians, Russophiles, or people who simply don’t hate Russia are not required to agree with everything he says, however one can see he speaks reason, and that is hard to come by these days. Check it out!
This is a sad day for the “Mother of Russian Cities” – Kiev and for all Europe, as archaic diseases are returning to Ukraine unprecedented in the civilized world.
“The Civilized world has already been rid of [these diseases] and never seen them in their lives” said Ukrainian Doctor Olga Golubkovskaya.
It is with no pleasure that we present this video to you, but with great sorrow for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. This is not the “dignity” they were promised by the West. If the Humanitarian superpowers love them so much, why not send medicine instead of weapons?
EuroNews reported that the Russian military forces have deployed a new unit with S-400 Anti-Ballistic missile batteries in Crimea. These arrived on January 13th, when Moscow deployed this new division outside Sevastopol, where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based.
Naturally the West is not happy about this. While there is no present threat in the area, the capability of these weapons is considerable, since they are able to detect incoming missiles from about 600 kilometers (373 miles) away. The system is able to stop incoming ballistic missiles out to a distance of 60 km (37 miles).
This is the second S-400 division deployed to Crimea since Russia annexed the region by local referendum.
The Russian Federation’s referendum and annexation of Crimea has been a thorn in the side of the West ever since it took place almost four years ago, in March 2014. The notion that any nation of thinking people could possibly want to become part of the evil, Putin-led Russian Federation was preposterous to the enlightened West, who was striving to make Ukraine free of their evil Russian overlords.
Except that this was not really the truth. The Crimean people voted to join Russia in droves, at a rate of not less than 95% of the votes, and no lower than 83% turnout. To Western eyes, this enormously lopsided result seems to be impossible, since it does not happen in US elections. Owing to the less than credible history of voting during the Soviet era, the West easily points an accusatory finger at Russia and Putin and says that this is just the re-emergence of the Soviet power, and that Putin is a thug.
But again, this is not really the truth.
The Ukraine is a matter that is of enormous complexity and even greater blurring of real facts on the ground. There certainly are people in Ukraine, Donetsk, Lugansk and Crimea that provide on-scene reports, but it is easy to overlook this material because it is blocked from widespread dissemination. It is then possible to turn on the reporters and call them stooges of Putin, or some other epithet, rather than choosing the path of intellectual honesty by viewing these reports and analyzing them.
However, these are pretty impromptu interviews (turn Closed Captioning on if you do not understand Russian) that illustrate what people on the ground really think:
At any rate, the people in Crimea seem generally content to be part of Russia. Maybe the West ought to listen to what the people want, instead of telling them what they should want. Ukraine apparently was not taking care of things here too well, judging from the stories we hear in this video.
(RT) – Russia’s military turned a highway into a runway for its fighter jets and bombers so that pilots could train landing on unprepared surfaces.
Traffic on a federal highway in Russia’s Rostov region was temporarily halted to give way for spectacular training maneuvers by a mixed Air Force unit.
Pilots of the Sukhoi Su-30M2 fighters jets and Su-34 bombers took part in the drill, landing their massive aircraft on an 18-meter-wide asphalt road, Russia’s military announced. Due to the difficult weather conditions, the landings were carried out without the warplanes coming to a full stop on the ground.
The fighters and bombers also carried out an aerial battle with a simulated enemy and performed complex aerobatics. The forces protecting the runway repelled an ‘attack’, while a Ka-27 helicopter undertook a rescue mission as part of the exercises.
(RBTH) – In Moscow on the night of Jan. 18-19 a traditional Epiphany bathing ceremony takes place at specially prepared sites. Orthodox Christians plunge into icy water in a hole made in the form of a cross and other shapes. Consider this tradition with us from all sides.
Have you ever been in a car that has flipped in a snow storm and flown off like a missile?
This author has… and the footage from dashcams mashed into “The Road Movie” do the experience justice.
The only advantage you have is you don’t actually have to be as bold as to drive at 120km/hr in a blizzard to experience it. Just attend or preorder for download “The Road Movie” by Dmitrii Kalashnikov.
And as an added bonus, you get to be the proverbial fly-on-the-wall to never ending amusing/amazing/astonishing/abominable human behaviour that know no geographic, linguistic, or cultural limits.
Russia’s recent offer to give Ukraine back its military hardware, which had been left behind in Crimea may be shocking, but its an incredibly sensible idea. It could have mid to long term symbolic value, if not any practical effect. The plan was intended to revive the dismal relations between the two states, as President Putin’s Press Secretary Peskov told reporters.
The hardware includes three ships: The Chernigov, The Lutsk, and the corvette Khmelnitsky named after the Cossack leader who reunited Russia and Ukraine, in addition to a small number of aircraft.
Before reasonable voices with concern for the people of Donbass become outraged, it is worthwhile pointing out why this could be a positive choice:
The ships are militarily insignificant, they pose no threat to Russia, or any practical threat to inland Donbass.
Much of the hardware has gotten rusty, if not fallen into complete disrepair.
They are an economic burden and security risk. Russia has been forced to provide security for this hardware and prevent any catastrophic damage from occurring. They can not, and should not be required to perform maintenance on them.
Russia did this primarily because:
Russia DOES abide by international law (unlike the Kiev regime). The vessels belong technically to Ukraine. One can argue acting lawfully and respectfully with a Nazi is a moot point, but it’s that form of respect which makes Russia an honourable country.
It allows Russia to take a moral high ground. It’s a constant reminder she has been FAR MORE than equitable with the Kiev regime, as well as her western partners.
Above all, it’s a goodwill gesture
As Press Secretary Peskov stated, this is above all, another “goodwill gesture“. It is a constant sign that Russia has always wished to take the moral highground. A sign Russia wanted to help her Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Above all, this hardware is from a military perspective, insignificant, perhaps aside from the Khmelnitsky.
Kiev could potentially refuse some of it, claiming Moscow “sabotaged it” simply because they have neither the money, nor the resolve, to repair and maintain it. Doing so would also deny Russia another opportunity to prove she stands on the side of law and justice in Ukraine.
If Ukraine does accept the offer, and everything is realized, it’s another example of Russian goodwill for the history books. Ukrainian servicemen who operate this hardware will have to remember unceasingly that Russia, “their enemy” give it with zero expectation of reciprocal goodwill.
This may go a long way to convince everyday people in Ukraine – young conscripts and their family members, who may be ignorant bystanders of the conflict. It is immoral to willfully be a bystander, saying “It’s none of my business” as one’s country is being torn to pieces, but sadly, this is all too common in Ukraine.
You may be saddened to know how many young people there are not, in fact, radically pro-Russian OR pro-Ukrainian. A multitude is largely apathetic to their own culture, their Russian souls, and the conflict in their country.
For these people, seeing a large gesture of friendship from Russia, which is completely unwarranted given Ukraine’s open hostility may surprise them. They may start to wonder “Why is Moscow doing more for Ukraine than our own government?” It may cause some, however few or many, to question the narrative. It is this question, in the minds and hearts of normal Ukrainians, that may just awaken the fire of the Russian spirit, deep in their soul.
Maybe they would even regret the war, seeing how the complacency and apathy of common people to their criminal government allowed for it. Maybe they would do this, as Gogol said, “because there still exists in them a tiny shard of Russian feeling”.
(RBTH) – Over the last couple of years, Russia has definitely been attracting Westerners’ attention and not only in terms of hacking rumors and every other scandal under the Sun. The way ordinary Russians live and cope with their problems is also interesting, especially in comparison to the West, the U.S. in particular.
On Jan. 15, 2017 a user going by the alias ajl1239 posted a question on Reddit: “As a so-called ‘Westerner,’ I’d like to know what are some things that you absolutely think Russia does better than the West (i.e. U.S./EU)?” Six months ago almost the same question appeared on Quora.com: “In what ways is Russia better than the United States?”
We’ve studied the most popular answers, compared them with what we see in Russia, provided information from some other sources – and made a list of what Russia excels at. Here we go.
Subway system
Novoslobodskaya metro station (Moscow). With all due respect, have you seen such beauty in New York? Legion Media
“Nearly every metro station in Russia is beautiful, not comparable to underground stations in the West,” Mistogun7 wrote in answer to the question on Reddit. This may be a slight exaggeration: After all, not every city in Russia enjoys its own subway system, let alone as developed and beautiful as the one in Moscow.
Nevertheless, generally when people compare Russian metros even to the biggest and most developed in the U.S. (New York) they seem to criticize the latter. “I rode Moscow’s metro for a day, and it blew New York’s subway away,” Dylan Love wroteon the Insider website, deeply impressed by the speed of the trains, cost of travel, and all-around beauty (marble floors, stations looking like palaces, etc.).
Cheap Internet
Internet in Russia is more expensive than in Europe but cheaper than in the U.S. Vladimir Astapkovich/Sputnik
As Peter Ponin, a Russian expat who has lived in Seattle for several years, mentioned on Quora, “In Russia it’s not uncommon to have 3-4 providers to choose,” which makes Internet far more affordable. Seems about true – in Russia you can get a 100 megabits per second (Mbps) connection for 449 rubles ($7.9) while in America the price for the same speed is around $89.
At the same time, Alexander Novikov, a Lithuanian, commented on the question that Europe beats both Russia and the U.S. in terms of cheapness/speed correlation. “Down here in Lithuania, symmetric 500/500 Mbit fiber is 20 euro a month”, he said. But when Russia is only compared to the U.S., Russia wins.
Sincerity
Wanna hear the unpleasant truth about yourself and the world around? Come to Russia and talk to almost anyone. Evgenya Novozhenina/Sputnik
This one doesn’t concern infrastructure or technology but communication. Reddit user ineedmoresleep described it briefly and comprehensively: “No bullshit,” and many others supported him. According to them, Russians nowadays are far more sincere than Westerners, who are constantly “afraid to offend anyone” and “don’t say what needs to be said.” Apparently, Russians have no problem speaking their mind.
Sometimes they even found it disquieting. While Americans complain about being too politically correct, some Russians wish their countrymen were nicer. For instance, Andrey Gunin, a Russian who visited the U.S., wrote: “I know that many of those who’ve been to the U.S. say that there affability is non-sincere (and I don’t argue). But when it comes to me, I would choose even non-sincere friendliness over sincere boorishness that we, unfortunately, often face in our country.”
Free healthcare
tient gets a vaccination at Moscow public outpatient clinic. The medical care in Russia is far from ideal but it remains free by now. Sergei Bobylev/TASS
It’s debatable which country provides better medical care but in Russia it’s surely cheaper. Though more private clinics exist nowadays, the Soviet heritage remains: If you have an insurance policy you get treated for free.
This seems to impress Americans, with Greg Easter (an expat living in Russia) writing: “You get free medical and dental care. If you have a small child who is sick, a doctor will make a house call the same day at no charge to you.”
Healthcare in Russia is not all rainbows and ponies though. It may be free but it’s not very available. The number of hospitals in Russia reduced by half from 2000 to 2015 – the government is closing small hospitals in the regions in a bid to improve efficiency. According to research conducted by the Accounts Chamber in 2015, the availability of services is decreasing. So if you’re living in a small town or village in Russia’s province, getting treated can be a problem.
Free education
Students of the philosophy department of Mikhail Lomonosov Moscow State University. Not all of them are studying for free but some sure do. Vladimir Vyatkin/Sputnik
As it is with healthcare, this is inherited from the Soviet past. The constitution guarantees everyone free education up to secondary level. School graduates are then able to get free higher education as well… if they succeed in their exams. Many universities have state-provided seats but only graduates with the best results get them.
Nevertheless, in the U.S. it’s even harder to get higher education for free so many people mention free education as a plus in Russia. “It is a huge social lift and a real opportunities equalizer,” one user commented on Quora, adding at the same time a couple of drawbacks: “Too many educated people, devaluating higher education, low paid professors.”
At the same time, in terms of comparing the top universities, the U.S. wins. International rankings value American universities higher: In QS World University Rankings 2018 the top four universities are American, with the best in Russia – the Moscow State University – only taking 95th place. American higher education is surely better – but less available. After all, everything in life has its pros and cons.
Check out this priceless video of a Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkalperov riding a vacuum cleaner across a narrow corridor on the International Space Station in the vacuum of space. It’s nice to see they still manage to have some fun even in up in the cosmos.
The ISS is sadly becoming one of the only places [we can’t even say “on earth”] where the US and Russian governments collaborate normally. It’s a shame we have to leave our planet to be friends.
(Sputnik) – The full body armor was put to the test by a new unit of the Russian Engineering Corps during drills held in Murom, Russia’s Vladimir Region, simulating a combat operation against militants.
The third-generation assault suit, called OVR-3SH, was designed to protect assault engineers (a new type of Russian troopers) in intense urban warfare. It consists of a protective suit with special composite plates to protect the soldier’s chest and spine, a bulletproof vest and a helmet with a ballistic-protective visor. Equipped with a body camera and a built-in cooling system, the novel suit weighs only 10 kilograms.
If you watch Russia’s president Vladimir Putin very much, you’ve probably noticed he has a very distinctive way of moving.
Putin typically walks with a brisk, steady stride, while swinging his left arm – but keeping his right arm relatively still close to his jacket.
As if there isn’t enough speculation and misinformation out there about Russia and Vladimir Putin, a team of British doctors decided (or were incentivized) to investigate Putin’s “abnormality” in 2015 – probably hoping to justify some diagnosis of mental illness.
Instead, what they came up with was a totally invented, fictitious condition they called “gunslinger’s gait” – also accusing several other top Russian officials of manifesting the symptom. They published their “results” in the prestigious British Medical Journal. You can read the original report here.
Consider for a moment the preposterous absurdity of what now apparently passes for science in the United Kingdom. A country with a long tradition of scientific inquiry, and a rich history of achievement in the sciences and physics, now promotes speculative gossip of a team of so-called medical professionals, who purport to “diagnose” a subject they have never examined, and with a “disease” which does not exist.
How low the mighty have fallen.
But could Putin’s “gunslinger’s gait” be real?
Putin was assigned to the KGB’s “first chief directorate” – the branch responsible for foreign intelligence – from 1975 to 1990. It’s not known exactly what he did, but he is believed to have spent the first ten years monitoring foreigners in the USSR, while the height of his career came starting in 1985, when he spent five years posted to Dresden, East Germany. It was there he polished off his German language skills.
It is highly unlikely Putin carried a gun while in the KGB – most intel officers do not. It is not necessary for their work. Instead, they rely on “tradecraft” to carry out their tasks – mainly recruiting and monitoring foreign spies – without being detected. If they are detected while abroad, shooting their way out of the situation a la James Bond or Jason Bourne is highly unlikely to succeed, and being caught with a firearm would only incriminate them more and make things worse.
Probably, Putin received only cursory training with firearms. In fact, in one of the only videos we have of him shooting a pistol, he displays poor gun handling skills – shooting one handed, with finger on the trigger when it shouldn’t be. (The finger should only be on the trigger when the gun is pointed downrange and ready to fire.) He doesn’t seem to know how to wear his ear protection properly either:
The conclusions of this doctors’ report just typifies the type of idiocy driving Russophobic hysteria in the West.
British doctors diagnose a patient they have never met before, with a non-existent illness using a KGB “manual” in English which is probably fake. They must be colleagues of the American psychiatrists who have diagnosed Trump with mental illness without ever having met him.
But while Putin’s gunslinger’s gait diagnosis may be bogus, we are forced to admit it is incredibly badass.
If the aim of this “diagnosis” was to get more people to fear Putin and Russia, it is certain to have had the opposite effect.
So sit back and enjoy this compilation of Vladimir Putin showing off his “gunslinger’s gait” to the world and let western Russophobic liberals tear their hair out:
Nikolai Litovkin, host of Russia Beyond’s “Big Guns” series is about to show you the world’s deadliest sniper rifle. This beast can punch through 1.5 meters of ice and find its mark at over four kilometers away. Russia has a long and proud history of excellence in marksmanship.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko from a small Ukrainian village north of Kiev took out over 300 Nazis, earning her both the record of the deadliest female sniper in history, and a song by American star Woody Guthrie “Miss Pavlichenko”.
As a result, it’s a surprise to no one that Russia came out with a rifle almost as stunning as Miss Pavlichenko herself. The rifle is produced by Lobaev Arms, check out their stunning photos on their website. They also produce a rifle named after Sevastopol, Crimea, where Pavlichenko fought in the Great Patriotic War.
Here is the video by Russia Beyond displaying what the rifle can do to a 1.5-meter thick block of ice.
I’d say I want to stay a kilometer away from that thing, but even that wouldn’t help me. The rifle was designed by shooting champion Vladislav Lobaev, a giant of the firearms world.
Mr. Lobaev is renowned worldwide for his design, which may be the worlds most accurate sniper rifle of it’s make. The carbon fiber is certainly very aesthetically pleasing.
The rifles are all custom designed to order, they’re not for your local enthusiast, each rifle costs a small fortune. Only governments and professional shooters can afford to own these machines.
The rifles are rumored to be used by the Presidential Protective Services counter-snipers at the Kremlin, but details are, of course, classified.
Mr. Lobaev has become a legend in Russia for the design, however, and while it has not reached popular levels of recognition, the rifle is well known to any professional sniper. This rifle is just one addition to Russia’s long history of producing some of the worlds best arms.
You definitely should also check out Woody Guthrie’s old song Miss Pavlichenko. Its a relic from the good old days, when Russia and America were friends, or at the very least didn’t hate each other. If anything, it’s surreal to hear an American star sing the praises of a young, beautiful Soviet sniper, and at the very least, the surprisingly upbeat tribute to the deadliest female sniper in history will give you a good laugh.
Though being anywhere in the sites of Miss Lyudmila Pavlichenko, or Mr. Lobaev at this point, is truly no laughing matter.
According to a general designer at Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, Russia is preparing to build her own space station without the participation of her western partners.
This may sound crazy, with the eyes of the world on the ISS, but this isn’t the first time Russia surpassed the earth in space leaps. Russia put the first man, Yuri Gagarin, in space, and the first woman for that matter.
Russia is more than capable of the achievement, as they had a space station, Mir, during the Soviet days, and if this project signals a return to Russia’s days of investing her time in glorious projects for the advancement of the human race, we’re along for the ride.
Speaking at “Korolev readings” in Moscow, Mikrin stated that a Russian orbital station was possible. “It is planned that it will consist of five modules and will provide the work of a crew of three people,” he added.
According to him, the scientific and energy module will be the basic one for the new station. “The newly developed modules include a gateway and a transformable module,” Mikrin said.
He also said that the maiden flight and docking of the new Russian manned spacecraft “Federation” is planned for 2024. According to him, it will be a reusable spaceship that will ensure precise landing, including on the Moon.
The head of Roscosmos, Igor Komarov, said that Russia would launch 150 satellites into space until 2025.
Noteworthy, according to earlier reports, the leaders of space agencies of Russia and the United States reached an agreement on the creation of a new space station Deep Space Gateway in Moon’s orbit.
Roscosmos chief Igor Komarov explained at the International Astronautical Congress-2017 in Australia that China, India, and other BRICS countries may also take part in the project.
For many of us, the ideal Christmas is spent by a warm fireside, under a roof covered by a blanket of snow, surrounded by our closest loved one.
But Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko chose to spend the Christmas holiday on vacation by renting an island in the Maldives, where one day’s agenda included yoga after breakfast, a massage, some sporty games and snorkeling after brunch.
Here is a report that appeared on Russian nightly news pertaining to the glamorous vacation.
Aperitifs before lunch were followed by exquisite culinary preparations. Costs were a paltry $37,500 for Poroshenko, next to the $188,000 for the Falcon 7X charter from Kiev for seven adults and two children, while the private villa was rented out for $276,000.
Altogether, the hryvnia equivalent would be roughly 14 million, as Poroshenko spared no expense for his friends and family.
Yet Poroshenko wanted to ensure that he expressed his solidarity with and Christmas salutations for the Ukrainian populace by displaying himself and family at church, prerecorded, of course, since he knew that he would be far away when the actual time would arrive.
But for most Ukrainians, the holiday was no where near as lavish. Ukraine is in the midst of a civil war and an unprecedented economic recession where many Ukrainians struggle daily to survive.
Poroshenko is living it up whilst his people must celebrate their Christmas in conditions inferior to those of Charles Dickens’ Bob Cratchit. But this is nothing new for them as Petro’s actions are common knowledge, even that of his offshore accounts in Panama, where he has amassed the funds that he siphoned from the Ukrainian people.
These details were uncovered by journalists from the Ukraine, where the investigation was broadcast on Channel One, an investigation that Poroshenko will have to promptly address.
An amazing video emerged from the Russian national park “Land of the Leopard”, in which a leopard brought her meal in front of a wildlife camera. What followed is simply heart-warming.
Seven species of wild animals came and shared the meal at various times. The resulting recording was posted on the park’s YouTube channel.
This is all thanks to the leopard Valera, who brought her prey there and shared it with other animals.
“The recording quality allows even to hear the tiger’s breath, see the emitted steam. This is a special clearing. From here, the valley is clearly visible, which is convenient for predators.” – researcher Victor Storozhuk told RIA Novosti
Some people have questioned the story of the generous leopard, suggesting the park may have engineered the event to impress people.
Heresy! No one will question the legend of the great Comrade Valera the Leopard!
Valera lived, Valera lives, and Valera will forever live in our hearts!
A Russia hating musician Zakhar May, born in Ukraine and raised in Saint Petersburg will be touring Russia, singing song and sharing his aspirations to mass murder. These are not my words, one of the lyrics to his songs is translated as:
When our tanks enter Moscow I will hang many people
Absolute Russophobic garbage, yet ironically, he will be entering Moscow as well as Saint Petersburg to sing his terrible songs.
Had he sung a song in Ukraine that went like: “Kiev is the Mother of Russian cities – thus it was, thus it is, and thus it will be.” or simply wore a Saint George ribbon, he would have been arrested…yet somehow…it’s Russia which has no freedom according to the west. Here is a video from Vesti news about the situation:
Here is a photograph illustrating the difference from Kherson, Ukraine, built by Russia under Empress Catherine the Great, just south of Crimea on the Dnipro river.
The photo is made by the Ukrainian Secret Service and says – Separatism? Russophilia? Federalism? There is a way out (literally: there is an exit)! We cure people of love for Russia. Freely, Indefinitely, and Anonymously! [it then provides the phone number and contact info of the security service]
That is an official poster from a government agency in tragic and melancholy Kherson by the sea.
Now a US citizen of Ukrainian origin from the US is being permitted by the Russian government to tour Russia singing his song. This stands as a testimony to the fact that Russians have more liberties than people understand.
We hear ad nausium about how Russia is an oppressive country with no freedom, much less free speech by biased western media, often reporting from countries that participating in wars around the world that have killed millions.
The reality is the idea of a totally “free” country is more of an idealism than a reality, but Russia is far more free and politically diverse than the west realizes.
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Символично и романтично…
#Заполярье #заполярнымкругом #крайнийсевер #первыйрассвет #кольскийполуостров #russianexplorers #madrussians #landscaperussia #landscapephotography #vsco #natgeoru #dialekty_journal #russiannorth #murmanskregion
