In an ethnic Tatar village in Russia’s Omsk region, drinking water comes from the ice of a local lake, which is cut in winter, carried, and stored for year-round use. It’s a good business for those who do the hard work of collecting the ice, and locals claim the clean water contributes to their longevity
Siberia’s Evenk region is larger than any European country but it is home to only around 17,000 people. It’s so vast and remote that scientists have spent decades searching and failing to find one of the largest meteorites ever to fall to Earth — the Tunguska meteorite
Little has changed over the past century for timber raftsmen in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region, who still rely on the same working methods that their grandfathers used
A Siberian village has become a magnet for various fringe faith communities, after a visit by the follower of an Indian mystic. Some believe it’s the site of a mythical temple, others that it’s the center of the universe. Archaeologists have found some pottery
building in Irkutsk, Siberia, looks more like a fridge in need of defrosting than a home. Yet several families, with children, live here, saying local authorities have neglected them. An official said they must prove that they have the right to live in the building before they can be rehoused
Navigating a Russian city in a wheelchair is incredibly difficult — and the challenge is even greater in the middle of winter. One disability activist in the Siberian city of Tomsk says government projects intended to improve accessibility have largely failed to deliver on their promises
Temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius mean only the horse farmers and their families stay to endure the winter in the village of Tumul in the Far Eastern Russian region of Yakutia. But ancient traditions and crafts still survive there, despite a dwindling local population
Russia’s orphan population grows annually by some 6,000, according to a 2014 article in the Russian daily Kommersant. Many kids with mental or physical disabilities end up in such institutions, abandoned by their parents, sometimes at the subtle suggestion of doctors….
A city festival in Novosibirsk celebrated the 140th anniversary of Josef Stalin’s birth with dancers, DJs, and discussions. The Soviet dictator was responsible for millions of his people’s deaths, but Russian officials have often sought to whitewash his legacy, and many admirers showed up for the party
The gang, which was used by local businesses to protect their interests, was involved in robberies, thefts, extortion, and murders