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

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Привет!

Are you acquainted with Russian composers? I’m sure you’ve heard melodies from Tchaikovsky's ‘Nutcracker’ or 'Swan Lake'. But what about others? Let's learn some facts and vocabulary related to music.

Here you can read more about Russian composers and listen to their most famous pieces of music🎶

❓Which are your favorite?

#russianclasses

📷 Pavel Kuzmichev, Sputnik; Universal Images Group, Corbis, ullstein bild/Getty Images

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This Samara resident SEWS models of temples

There are many temples in Samara: the Pokrovsky Cathedral, which looks like a fairy-tale ‘terem’ (country house), the old Sofia Church made of red bricks and the Russian-style chapel of St. Alexis. And, if you go for a walk on the old part of the city, you will definitely see the house of local artist Nikolai Samokhin. It is easy to recognize: in front of it are light, almost airy models of temples, which Nikolai makes with his hands from cardboard and decorates with improvised materials.

Samokhin’s unusual hobby began over a decade ago. For many years, he worked as a driver’s assistant on a diesel locomotive, then became a boiler plant operator. In order not to get bored between equipment inspections, he decided to do some simple needlework, which he remembered studying in school, and began to build - first a single-dome - and then more complex temples.

Thus, gradually, some truly amazing works began to appear, among which are modest chapels, as well as the majestic Savior-on-Blood in St. Petersburg, the Samara Temple of Sofia and a huge Preobrazhenskaya church with 22 domes in Kizhi. Work on a typical single dome temple takes about ten days, while on such a huge area as the church in Kizhi – several months.

The technique is quite simple, but labor-intensive: the basis is a dense cardboard, which is then covered with material from shiny bags; Samokhin, meanwhile, makes the crosses on the domes of his models with copper wire. He skillfully wields needle and thread, connecting different parts, building neat walls and golden domes, step by step.
Nikolai Samokhin willingly shows everyone who stops at his house his sewn temples and, sometimes, even gives away some of them.

Credit: Georgy Subbotin/Rodina magazine

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How Soviet and U.S. troops met on the Elbe River

The historic meeting took place on April 25, 1945, in northwestern Saxony. The first to arrive at the Elbe were units of General Courtney Hodges' 1st American Army.

The troops halted at the line and began to wait for the approach of the Soviet allies. Meanwhile, several U.S. reconnaissance groups crossed to the opposite bank.

At about 11:30 am, in one of the villages, Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue's group noticed a rider in a Soviet military uniform. However, he did not make contact and disappeared.

Two hours later, near the town of Riza, Kotzebue came upon a group of Soviet soldiers, led by Senior Lieutenant Grigory Goloborodko of the 58th Guards Rifle Division. The American went to the location of the Soviet troops and stayed there until evening.

On the same day, the groups of Guards Lieutenant Alexander Silvashko and Lieutenant William Robertson met near the town of Torgau. The Soviet soldiers saw a uniformed soldier on the bell tower and wanted to open fire, but he began waving his arms and shouting, "Moscow-America!"

It was one of Robertson's scouts. Soon, the officer himself appeared and invited Silvashko to the location of the U.S. troops.

On April 26, a full-fledged ceremonial meeting was organized in Torgau with the participation of soldiers and command staff, which included photo sessions, feasts and the exchange of gifts.

It was then that the famous joint photograph of Robertson and Silvashko, which traveled around the world, was taken against the backdrop of a poster reading "East meets West".

Credit: Allan Jackson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images/Alexander Ustinov/Georgy Khomzor/Sputnik/William E. Poulson

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