Culture & Customs

Cucumbers are practically their own food group in Russia. We offer a cooling recipe...

On Prime Minister Medvedev's gaffe and ensuing viral internet video... and on unconventional protest methods.

Ekaterina Novikova shares her region, the Altai, with us through words and images.

This week we travel to Russia's warmer climes. Lesya Polyakova gives us a quick tour of Sochi.

Ballet great Rudolf Nureyev leapt out of Soviet jurisdiction and into the wider world of Western ballet on June 16, 1961. His leap was as much a political move as a dance move.

Anastasiya Tsayder takes us inside village living rooms and kitchens, showing a rarely scene slice of Russian rural life.

In honor of Alexander Pushkin's 217th birthday, here's a small sample of his poems to show that his writing isn't just pretty and witty – it can help you through almost any situation.

Nikolai Gontar leads us on a trip to the Republic of Mariy El, home to layered pancakes and some very unusual architecture.

Olga Titova takes us to Tver, a main city located between Moscow and St. Petersburg, a land of candles and goats, bridges and rivers.

Last week tiny Kinerma was named as this year's "most beautiful Russian village." As it turns out, Kinerma was a stop on The Spine of Russia project...

On Victory Day, Russian photographers Mikhail Mordasov and Ignat Kozlov captured images of World War II veterans and young Russians who are the same age as the veterans were when they went off to fight in the war. They asked each of their subjects two questions: "What should one live for?" and "What should one be willing to die for?"

Mikhail Solunin, 28, takes us on a tour of Nizhny Novgorod, at the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers.