The Sad Story of a Man Who Refuses to Wear Pants and Only Puts on Skirts or Dresses
44-year-old Vladimir Fomin, from Kineshma, a town in Russia’s Ivanovo Region, is a very peculiar man. He became somewhat of a celebrity in his country after he was expelled from the University of Mathematics for refusing to wear pants and walking around in women’s clothing. Vladimir certainly isn’t the only man in the world who prefers […]
Broken-Hearted Dog Stands Guard over Dead Mate’s Body for over a Week
Even in the animal kingdom, the loss of a loved-one isn’t easy, and this grieving dog, on the outskirts of Filippovka, a village in Russia’s Perm region, is proof of that. His mate had been by a car while trying to cross the road, over seven days ago, but he’s still standing guard over her body, […]
Russian Pensioner Decorates Her House with 30,000 Plastic Bottle Caps
Olga Kostina, a Russian pensioner from the Russian village of Kamarchaga, in the Siberian taiga, has decorated her simple wooden home with artistic patterns made from over 30,000 plastic bottle caps. The Siberian taiga is one of the most beautiful natural ecosystems on Earth, but with a population density of just 3 people per square kilometer, […]
Guy Fakes His Own Death to Make Girlfriend See Life Would Be Empty without Him
In what may very well be the worst wedding proposal in history, a Russian man hired a whole film crew to stage a deadly car crash and see if the woman he wanted to marry really loved him to death. Most people already know, or at least think they know the person they want to […]
Spassky Cave Church – A Russian Wonder Carved in Stone
On the banks of the Don River, in the picturesque Voronezh region of Russia lies one of the most fascinating tourist attractions this country has to offer – the Spassky Cave Church. For hundreds of years, this place has been at the mercy of the elements, then it had to face communist persecution, yet it still […]
Awesome Mosaic Is Made of Over 1 Million Coffee Beans
Measuring nearly 30 square meters, The Awakening mosaic recently unveiled in Gorky Park, Moscow, set a new world record for the largest coffee bean mosaic. It’s not very often that you get to see artworks as impressive as the one created by Russian artist Arkadi Kim. He and his team spent around two weeks working […]
Skywalking – Russia’s Thrilling but Dangerous Photo Craze
Skywalking is the latest photography craze among Russian teens. The idea is to be able to find a really high building, climb to the very top and stand at its very edge, imagining you’re on the top of the world. Then, you take photographs from up there to post on the internet. The teens participating […]
The Chalk Masterpieces of Rustam Valeev
Rustam Valeev is a 20-year-old street artist from the city of Sterlitamak, Russia. Using simple pieces of white chalk, he is able to create incredibly detailed portraits right on the pavement of his home city. Doodling with chalk was one of my favorite pastimes, as a kid. I remember I spent hours trying to draw simple things […]
The God Squad – Russia’s Parachuting Priests
Until now, only angels were able to drop in from the skies, but not anymore. Russian priests will be joining in pretty soon, complete with church and everything. No, they won’t be sprouting wings, they will be using parachutes to do their flying. Confused? I’m talking about an elite unit of priests that are currently […]
The Secret Life of Ants, Shot by Andrey Pavlov
We’ve seen insects used as art protagonists before. Mike Libby turns them into steampunk hybrids, and Ubyka creates armed insect cyborgs, but I haven’t seen anything like what Andrey Pavlov does with ants. This is the touching story of a man who found comfort in studying and immortalizing hardworking ants performing their daily routines. Andrey Pavlov wasn’t […]
Russian Tattoo Artist Has His Pet Cat Tattooed
Timur, a 24-year-old tattoo artist from Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, caused a lot of controversy after he posted photos and a video of him tattooing his pet cat, a hairless Sphynx, on the Internet. Apparently, Timur wanted his beloved cat, Coco, to have a similar tattoo as the one he had done on his chest. […]
Purga Nightclub – Where Every Night Is New Year’s Eve
The holiday season is a truly magical time around the world. New Year’s Eve, especially, is seen as a time of hope and new beginnings, a time to forget the old and embrace the new. Most people are in high spirits, celebrating the coming of the new year with much pomp and gusto. But what […]
The Berezka Ensemble – Russia’s Floating Dance Group
Trade secrets are common in many areas of life, but dancing? I wondered how it could be possible for a dancer to have a secret step, when their art is plain for all to see. Turns out there is a particular dancing group from Russia that has a secret technique – the floating step – […]
The Mind-Blowing Wood-Carved Paintings of Kronid Gogolev
Kronid Gogolev is a master wood-carver who creates incredibly detailed artworks inspired by the rural and provincial life of Russia’s northern regions. For our artist of the day we chose to showcase Russian veteran wood-carver Kronid Gogolev, a man’s whose intricate wooden paintings are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Using simple tools, he is able to […]
Dargavs – Russia’s City of the Dead
A place called the City of the Dead actually exists in Russia’s North Ossetia, hidden in one of the five mountain ridges that cross the region. Needless to say, several myths and legends shroud the place, with locals claiming that no one has ever come back alive. The ‘city’ hardly ever gets any tourists either, […]