As summer turned into fall, a series of highly public spats broke out in Russia, with celebrities and cultural figures demonstrating deeply polarized attitudes about the crisis in Ukraine, the Kremlin, and history.

On how the new smoking ban will play out.

What is the deal with Russian men locking lips in greeting? Is it a thing? Or was it just a Brezhnev thing?

A look at the recent prohibitions on smoking and foul language.

A look at some recent events that made the news, but in ways not covered elsewhere.

The giant trunk appeared out of nowhere, a huge box that looked like a Versace suitcase left behind by a giant alien. To this day, its appearance and disappearance are a mystery.

In our Trends section, editor Maria Antonova looks at Twitter accounts by dead writers, sex ed through literature, and poll results at psychiatric facilities in Moscow...

A look at Putin's recent divorce announcement, Russia attitudes toward divorce, and how the capital is coping with the imposition of paid parking in the center.

Russia's ban on American adoptions focused attention on Putin and world politics, while the real issue is the plight of the children who live inside the vast orphan system.

Over 100 people died in flash floods in the southern city of Krymsk. The disaster was both preventable and criminal. But it still needed to be cleaned up. Russian Life's history editor Tamara Eidelman was there and provides this first hand account of the aftermath of the disaster.