Uzbekistan and Tajikistan after the Soviet Union
When on Dec. 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union and the Soviet flag was lowered from the Kremlin for the last time, the USSR formally ceased to exist, but events leading to that formality had begun months before. Throughout 1991, Soviet republics withdrew from the union, and the failed coup of Aug. 19-21 was for many the final blow to unity.
Beginning with the 20th anniversary of the coup and continuing over the next few months, RBTH will explore the causes of the Soviet collapse along with its consequences and how it is seen today.
Russians in the Baltics: Forever Foreigners
The treatment of Russian minorities by governments in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia completely goes against the European values of multi-culturalism
Gorbachev says USSR collapse not his fault
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Saturday condemned attempts to blame him for the Soviet Union’s breakup
Stalingrad – What happened inside the cauldron
Courage, toughness and weapons were peripheral factors in the Battle of Stalingrad. It was the tactical superiority of the Russian soldier in a range of environments that was the key to the Russian victory
The changing face of Russian beauty
Exhibitions exploring and, at times, tearing apart perceived ideas of physical beauty are currently tucked away in several Moscow galleries
Revising the concept of Eurasia
The interpretation of Eurasia as the territory of the former Russian Empire and the Soviet Union is now outdated
Lenin fans: A tribute of flowers
Right now, an increasing majority of Russians want Lenin’s remains to be given a proper burial
Russian Post Office: Why so slow?
The Russian Post takes weeks or months to deliver parcels. In some cases, this is the fault of customs, but the state-owned company itself does not employ enough people
Estonia to keep ex-Soviet military sites as tourist attractions
Estonia will keep some of the abandoned Soviet-era military sites on its territory as historical legacy and potentially as tourist attractions, the Estonian television reported. Culture experts discussed on Tuesday duri
Revealing the geopolitical threats of 2013
The year 1913 figured as a sort of milestone for the Soviet Union and the world. Today, at the beginning of 2013, we too can sense future changes, but we are powerless to predict the path of history and we do not know where current events are taking
Lenin's Mausoleum closed for renovation
The final resting place of the world leader of revolution has been closed for renovation and placed under an inflatable dome
Soviet animation classics: 40 years on
New Year's Day marked yet another anniversary of “Nu, Pogodi!” (“Just You Wait!”): the cartoon series has been hailed by viewers as a Soviet animation masterpiece for over 40 years now
Russian-language textbooks stir controversy
The publisher, Zlatoust, says the ‘Poekhali’ series competes well with more sober language books, most of which were produced in the Soviet era
Trading pirates for icebreakers
The melting of the polar ice cap could bring significant savings for international shipping firms — which might result in better prices for consumers
Soviet Union: 90 years since formation
Fyodor Lukyanov talks about what Russia gained from the collapse of the Soviet Union and why it makes no sense to look back and try to find reference points in the Soviet past
History’s heavy burden haunts Russia
Even a casual glance at Russian history will show that certain institutional patterns tend to be repeated over time
Ukraine looking to poach Russian defence deals with India
Kyiv is going to give Moscow stiff competition to Russia here on in all areas of bilateral cooperation that have defined Indo-Russian strategic partnership
Tajikistan signals readiness to join post-Soviet customs bloc
Tajikistan has signaled readiness to join the Customs Union of the ex-Soviet republics of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to reap the benefits of closer economic integration, Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) Secretary General Tair Mansurov said o
Putin outlines his moral vision for modern Russia
Debates about whether Russia was better off in Soviet times are left behind as Vladimir Putin focuses on his country’s future
Gely Korzhev: Bible as seen by Socialist Realism artist
A very unusual combination of Biblical themes and Socialist Realism techniques is displayed at the Institute of Russian Realist Art in Moscow. The author, famed Soviet artist Gely Korzhev, have never been previously known for this kind of art
Original Cheburashka puppet to be auctioned
Cheburashka and Gena the crocodile will join paintings, drawings and decorative art works at an auction of Russia and Soviet art of the 20th century