The pirog is quite capable of holding the flag as the most important dish in Russian cuisine. It is a filling, generous, and hearty meal, containing all the major food groups (vegetables, animal protein, grains, and bread) rolled up in one.

Robotic drones are now being used to monitor the ecological situation of Lake Baikal. 

Winter is here, and ice swimmers are diving in across Russia.

A clever hunter made a move to pluck himself out of an unbearable fate nearly a month ago. This week, his friend explained how he managed to help.
 

A man disturbed the quiet slumber of the dead while looking for a place to catch himself forty winks.

An unusually warm fall is leading to some unusually beautiful blossoms in Sochi this year. 

The latest news and developments from Russia that may not have made it into the New York Times.

It’s that time of the year again, when afternoons are short, the colors are subdued, and the appetite for rich spicy foods is at its highest. What a perfect occasion to cook a hearty Central Asia pilaf with mutton, lots of cumin, and (if you can find them) barberries (also known as berberis or “northern lemon”).

For the first time in history, a Viking-style longship sails the waters of the Angara river near Lake Baikal. 

There are worse fashion blunders than white socks and a self-tying tie, but the chief prosecutor’s office of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Territory might disagree.

A decade has passed since an entire Russian professional hockey team was lost in a moment.

“Snrrf.” *crunching sound* *laughter* “Pant, pant…”

– A fox as it thieves a camera from tourists in Kamchatka on September 8.