"Lenin lived, Lenin lives, Lenin will live" is one of the most famous Soviet slogans.
Lenin was born on April 22, 154 years ago. Today, he is already a rather distant historical figure, but, in Soviet times, a real cult of his personality was formed, shrouded with a mass of myths.
But what was the real Lenin like and how was his private life? We recall the main facts in the biography of the revolutionary leader.
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Lenin was born on April 22, 154 years ago. Today, he is already a rather distant historical figure, but, in Soviet times, a real cult of his personality was formed, shrouded with a mass of myths.
But what was the real Lenin like and how was his private life? We recall the main facts in the biography of the revolutionary leader.
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How the Russians conquered the fragments of the great power of the Mongols
For several centuries, Russia was dependent on the powerful Mongol state, the Golden Horde, until it broke up into a series of Turkic-Tatar khanates in the mid-15th century.
While there were feuds among the Tatars, the centralized Russian state kept growing and strengthening. And. having gained this strength, it entered a deadly struggle with them:
For many years, the Kazan Khanate raided the Russian lands. In 1487, the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III took Kazan and temporarily established a protectorate over the khanate. However, only his grandson, Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, finally subdued the old enemy in 1552.
Right after Kazan came the turn of the Astrakhan Khanate. Its rulers felt threatened by Moscow and sought help from the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire. Despite this, the Khanate was occupied by Russian troops and liquidated in 1556.
The conquest of the Siberian Khanate began on the initiative of the Stroganov merchants - the Tatars had been ravaging their possessions in the Urals. They paid for the campaign of the Cossack army of Ataman Yermak.
In 1582, Yermak took the Siberian capital Kashlyk (near Tobolsk). After the death of the ataman, his work was continued by the tsar's military leaders, who, by the end of the 16th century, finally subdued the khanate.
Crimea proved to be the most powerful fragment of the Golden Horde. The Tatars regularly plundered Russian lands and enslaved people and, in 1571, even burned down Moscow.
The khans felt completely safe on the peninsula. In addition, they were under the patronage of the Ottoman Empire. The fate of Crimea was decided during Russia’s successful wars against the Turks in the 17th century.
In 1736, Russian troops penetrated the peninsula for the first time and even burned the khan's capital of Bakhchisarai. In 1774, Russia achieved independence of the Khanate from the Turks and, in 1783, finally annexed it.
🔔 Russia Beyond
For several centuries, Russia was dependent on the powerful Mongol state, the Golden Horde, until it broke up into a series of Turkic-Tatar khanates in the mid-15th century.
While there were feuds among the Tatars, the centralized Russian state kept growing and strengthening. And. having gained this strength, it entered a deadly struggle with them:
For many years, the Kazan Khanate raided the Russian lands. In 1487, the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III took Kazan and temporarily established a protectorate over the khanate. However, only his grandson, Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, finally subdued the old enemy in 1552.
Right after Kazan came the turn of the Astrakhan Khanate. Its rulers felt threatened by Moscow and sought help from the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire. Despite this, the Khanate was occupied by Russian troops and liquidated in 1556.
The conquest of the Siberian Khanate began on the initiative of the Stroganov merchants - the Tatars had been ravaging their possessions in the Urals. They paid for the campaign of the Cossack army of Ataman Yermak.
In 1582, Yermak took the Siberian capital Kashlyk (near Tobolsk). After the death of the ataman, his work was continued by the tsar's military leaders, who, by the end of the 16th century, finally subdued the khanate.
Crimea proved to be the most powerful fragment of the Golden Horde. The Tatars regularly plundered Russian lands and enslaved people and, in 1571, even burned down Moscow.
The khans felt completely safe on the peninsula. In addition, they were under the patronage of the Ottoman Empire. The fate of Crimea was decided during Russia’s successful wars against the Turks in the 17th century.
In 1736, Russian troops penetrated the peninsula for the first time and even burned the khan's capital of Bakhchisarai. In 1774, Russia achieved independence of the Khanate from the Turks and, in 1783, finally annexed it.
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How Russia conquered the fragments of the great power of the Mongols
The Crimean Khanate posed the biggest problem of all the fragments of the Golden Horde; its troops once even burned Moscow. But, in time, Russia...
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May the sounds of the waves blend with the songs of the sea lions, reminding us of the eternal dance of life on this beautiful planet. Let's contemplate their arrival with reverence and gratitude for this great gift of nature!
Video by: Ruptly
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Video by: Ruptly
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What is the meaning of the expression ‘Otkladyvat v dolgiy yashik’ (‘to put something in a long box’)?
Откладывать в долгий ящик
"In order not to put it in a long box and not to repeat myself, I will give the reader a picture of the murder..." What did the character in Chekhov's ‘Drama on the Hunt’ mean? What is a long box and what should not be put there? Let's talk about everything in order!
According to one version, the roots of this expression go back to ancient times, to the days of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. In front of his palace in Kolomenskoye stood a long box, in which any person could put his or her complaint. There were many people willing to do so, but these notes were considered slowly. First, boyars waited until the box was filled, then they began to study the petitions. Not surprisingly, some of them remained unanswered. While waiting for a decision, people would often forget what they were complaining about.
The box was dealt with, but why is it long and not lengthy? Well, the words ‘long’ and ‘lengthy’ are, of course, synonyms.
There is another version, according to which the expression "to put in a long box" appeared in the middle of the 18th century. And it came to the Russian language from German. But, we will also be talking about furniture: in German courts, cases were put in long bench boxes. The complaints of those who were poorer were considered last, sending them to a... long box. So, perhaps, the expression migrated into the Russian language together with the habit of postponing everything insignificant for later.
That's how the expression came to be, which means "to put something off for an indefinite period of time".
Credit: Public domain, Alexandre Benois
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Откладывать в долгий ящик
"In order not to put it in a long box and not to repeat myself, I will give the reader a picture of the murder..." What did the character in Chekhov's ‘Drama on the Hunt’ mean? What is a long box and what should not be put there? Let's talk about everything in order!
According to one version, the roots of this expression go back to ancient times, to the days of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. In front of his palace in Kolomenskoye stood a long box, in which any person could put his or her complaint. There were many people willing to do so, but these notes were considered slowly. First, boyars waited until the box was filled, then they began to study the petitions. Not surprisingly, some of them remained unanswered. While waiting for a decision, people would often forget what they were complaining about.
The box was dealt with, but why is it long and not lengthy? Well, the words ‘long’ and ‘lengthy’ are, of course, synonyms.
There is another version, according to which the expression "to put in a long box" appeared in the middle of the 18th century. And it came to the Russian language from German. But, we will also be talking about furniture: in German courts, cases were put in long bench boxes. The complaints of those who were poorer were considered last, sending them to a... long box. So, perhaps, the expression migrated into the Russian language together with the habit of postponing everything insignificant for later.
That's how the expression came to be, which means "to put something off for an indefinite period of time".
Credit: Public domain, Alexandre Benois
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How a Soviet Jewish boy became a ‘mascot’ of an SS battalion
In October 1941, five-year-old Ilya Galperin from the suburbs of Minsk experienced a terrible tragedy - the Germans had just executed his entire family.
The boy was hiding in the woods, but a peasant captured him and handed him over to the Nazis. Ilya fell into the hands of the Latvian 18th ‘Kurzeme’ Schutzmanschaft Battalion (security unit), which carried out punitive actions against the Jewish population.
Ilya was saved from certain death by Corporal Jekabs Kulis, who took pity on him. He ordered Galperin to forget his Jewish origins and pretend to be a Russian orphan.
The Latvians “adopted” Ilya as their student and proclaimed him the mascot of the unit. He was given a new name - Alex Kurzem, a military uniform and even a small gun. In the battalion, the boy cleaned the soldiers' boots, made fires and carried water.
More than once Alex witnessed mass executions. "I just had to watch what was happening," he recalled. “There was not a thing I could do, not a thing... I cried often… Sometimes, I regretted I had not been shot with my mother.”
On June 1, 1943, the battalion was incorporated into the Latvian SS Volunteer Legion and Kurzem replaced his old uniform with a new one. "The youngest Nazi of the Reich" became a frequent guest on the pages of newspapers and newsreels.
When the SS men went to the front line, Alex was sent to the rear in Riga. There, he was adopted by a local family, with whom he emigrated to Australia after the war.
When, in 1997, Alex revealed the unpleasant details of his childhood, some of his friends disowned him, while the Melbourne Jewish community accused him of voluntarily joining the SS and his lack of hatred for the Nazis.
“Hatred will not help me,” is how Kurzem-Galperin replied. “I am what I am... I was born a Jew, I was raised by Nazis and Latvians and I married in the Catholic Church.”
Credit: AFP
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In October 1941, five-year-old Ilya Galperin from the suburbs of Minsk experienced a terrible tragedy - the Germans had just executed his entire family.
The boy was hiding in the woods, but a peasant captured him and handed him over to the Nazis. Ilya fell into the hands of the Latvian 18th ‘Kurzeme’ Schutzmanschaft Battalion (security unit), which carried out punitive actions against the Jewish population.
Ilya was saved from certain death by Corporal Jekabs Kulis, who took pity on him. He ordered Galperin to forget his Jewish origins and pretend to be a Russian orphan.
The Latvians “adopted” Ilya as their student and proclaimed him the mascot of the unit. He was given a new name - Alex Kurzem, a military uniform and even a small gun. In the battalion, the boy cleaned the soldiers' boots, made fires and carried water.
More than once Alex witnessed mass executions. "I just had to watch what was happening," he recalled. “There was not a thing I could do, not a thing... I cried often… Sometimes, I regretted I had not been shot with my mother.”
On June 1, 1943, the battalion was incorporated into the Latvian SS Volunteer Legion and Kurzem replaced his old uniform with a new one. "The youngest Nazi of the Reich" became a frequent guest on the pages of newspapers and newsreels.
When the SS men went to the front line, Alex was sent to the rear in Riga. There, he was adopted by a local family, with whom he emigrated to Australia after the war.
When, in 1997, Alex revealed the unpleasant details of his childhood, some of his friends disowned him, while the Melbourne Jewish community accused him of voluntarily joining the SS and his lack of hatred for the Nazis.
“Hatred will not help me,” is how Kurzem-Galperin replied. “I am what I am... I was born a Jew, I was raised by Nazis and Latvians and I married in the Catholic Church.”
Credit: AFP
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Where do Asian black bears live in Russia?
You probably know that brown bears and polar bears live in Russia. And, in the Far East, there is another species of these animals, the Ussuri white-breasted bear, a subspecies of the Asian black bear.
This bear prefers the warm Asian climate, but, in Russia, it can also be found in the Khabarovsk Territory, Primorsky Territory and in the south of Yakutia. It is registered in the ‘Bikin’ national park, the ‘Sikhote-Alin’ and ‘Khankaisky’ reserves and others.
And it is even depicted on the coat of arms of Khabarovsk! In total, there are about 6,500 Ussuri bears in Russia.
Unlike other bears, the Ussuri bear prefers to live in trees rather than in a den, even in winter. As a rule, the bear's hollow is located five meters above the ground and higher.
It;s easy recognizable thanks to its white stripe on its chest and its relatively small size, up to 1.5 in length (or height, if it stands on its hind legs). Ussuri bears feed on plants, berries and nuts, but will also eat small animals, such as frogs.
Young bears are not afraid of people and they can often be seen on the road. However, it is best not to come into contact with them and under no circumstances feed them!
📷 Legion media, TASS, Sputnik
🔔 Russia Beyond
You probably know that brown bears and polar bears live in Russia. And, in the Far East, there is another species of these animals, the Ussuri white-breasted bear, a subspecies of the Asian black bear.
This bear prefers the warm Asian climate, but, in Russia, it can also be found in the Khabarovsk Territory, Primorsky Territory and in the south of Yakutia. It is registered in the ‘Bikin’ national park, the ‘Sikhote-Alin’ and ‘Khankaisky’ reserves and others.
And it is even depicted on the coat of arms of Khabarovsk! In total, there are about 6,500 Ussuri bears in Russia.
Unlike other bears, the Ussuri bear prefers to live in trees rather than in a den, even in winter. As a rule, the bear's hollow is located five meters above the ground and higher.
It;s easy recognizable thanks to its white stripe on its chest and its relatively small size, up to 1.5 in length (or height, if it stands on its hind legs). Ussuri bears feed on plants, berries and nuts, but will also eat small animals, such as frogs.
Young bears are not afraid of people and they can often be seen on the road. However, it is best not to come into contact with them and under no circumstances feed them!
📷 Legion media, TASS, Sputnik
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Pause by the banks of the Volga and marvel at the grandeur of this mighty river. The Volga has inspired poets and artists for centuries, and it continues to astonish with its beauty ✨
Video by: https://www.youtube.com/@user-ve6zv2sx7i
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Video by: https://www.youtube.com/@user-ve6zv2sx7i
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They first tried to grow bananas in Russia in the 18th century, but the climate was not warm enough. This meant having to import this exotic fruit from tropical countries, which, back then, was a huge endeavor. So, for a long time, they were a rare and expensive treat.
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How bananas first appeared in Russia
We'll tell you where the exotic fruit came from in Russia and why, in Soviet times, bananas were given to the 'front-runners' of...
Lancet arches, spires and even fearsome gargoyles! All of these can even be found in Russia, which is usually not associated with the European medieval style in church architecture.
From the 18th century, the Gothic trend penetrated into Russian architecture and Russian architects began stylizing not only churches, but also tsarist palaces and noble mansions into the Gothic style.
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From the 18th century, the Gothic trend penetrated into Russian architecture and Russian architects began stylizing not only churches, but also tsarist palaces and noble mansions into the Gothic style.
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10 most beautiful GOTHIC buildings in Russia (PHOTOS)
It turns out that in the country of wooden churches and Russian-style ‘terems’ (fairytale houses), there are more than 2,000 buildings built in a...