Useful Links
Linguistic Resources
Gramota - Information portal for the Russian language. Here you can find useful information about various aspects of the Russian language, get on-line advice on all spelling and usage questions and gain access to dictionaries and reference works. www.gramota.ru
Russian Online - Website for those who have just started to learn Russian. It includes grammar topics and cultural information. www.rus-on-line.ru
Russian National Corpus - Website comprising a collection of the modern Russian language. It is an electronic reference system based on Russian texts from the middle of the 18th century up to the present time. www.ruscorpora.ru/index.html
Russian Virtual Library - Holds classical and modern Russian literature in electronic form. www.rvb.ru
Russian-English On-Line Dictionaries
ABBYY Lingvo Online Dictionary - www.lingvo.abbyyonline.com/en
ECTACO dictionaries - www.ectaco.co.uk/English-Russian-Dictionary
PROMPT Machine Translation Service - www.promt.com
Rambler English - Russian Dictionary - www.rambler.ru/dict/enru
Yandex Dictionaries - www.slovari.yandex.ru
Yahoo Electronic Dictionaries - babelfish.yahoo.com
SYSTRAN Machine Translation Service - www.systranet.com
Multitran Dictionaries - www.multitran.ru
Radio stations
The Voice of Russia - The Russian international radio station. It broadcasts programmes about life in modern Russia, its history, culture and political opinions. Listen to programmes live or recorded from radio archives. The "Russian by Radio" programme provides Russian language lessons. www.ruvr.ru
Radio Rosii - The main radio station in Russia for information, news and light entertainment. www.radiorus.ru
Echo of Moscow - Programmes are broadcast by radio and also via the Internet, with news and talk shows which focus on topical social and political issues and which present them from different points of view. www.echo.msk.ru
News Agencies
ITAR-TASS - Since 1904 one of the world's largest international news agencies and the state central information agency of Russia. It offers a 24 hour service in 6 languages, covering Russia's political and economic news, culture and sport. The Agency also operates a photo service and it has an extensive photo archive on Russian affairs which dates back to the beginning of the XX century. www.itar-tass.com
RIA - Novosti - One of the leading international news agencies in Russia. It publishes the latest world news on political, economic and financial matters, via both the Internet and e-mail, in several European languages as well as in Arabic. www.rian.ru
INTERFAX - Since the early 90's, this agency has been the leading provider of information about Russia and the CIS for the international business community. Apart from presenting general news coverage of Russian affairs, it provides press-releases, business and financial analysis and market research. www.interfax.com (in English), www.interfax.ru (in Russian)
Information Portals
Russia Beyond the Headlines - A website where you can find analysis and information on life in Russia today. Topics range from business and politics to history, culture and national cuisine. www.rbth.ru
The Russian Corporate World - A Russian-English bilingual business journal which reflects the analysis and opinions of leading Russian and foreign financial experts, as well as including reports and analytical articles and information on company profiles. www.trcw.ru/en
Newspapers
Kommersant Daily - www.kommersant.ru
Izvestia - www.izvestia.ru
Nezavisimaya Gazeta - www.ng.ru/
Argumenty i Facty - www.aif.ru
Novaya Gazeta - www.novayagazeta.ru
The Moscow News - www.mn.ru
Pravda - www.pravda.ru
Rossiiskaya Gazeta - www.rg.ru
Literaturnaya Gazeta - www.lgz.ru
TV Channels
Russia Today - The first Russian channel to broadcast in English 24 hours a day and in over 100 countries. Apart from news updates, the Russia Today channel offers a unique insight into many aspects of Russian history, culture and opinions. It is available around the world on cable, satellite and the Internet. www.rt.com
Theatres
The Bolshoi Theatre is not only the second largest opera house in Europe but it is also the national opera and ballet house of Russia. The major part of its repertoire comprises Russian masterpieces. You can check the schedule of performances and book tickets on-line at www.bolshoi.ru/en.
The Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, also known as the Kirov Ballet, is one of the world's oldest ballet and opera houses. It has given the world many remarkable artists. Its principals have included Anna Pavlova and Rudolf Nureyev and this theatre company also provided the springboard to launch the career of the choreographer George Balanchine on his road to fame. www.mariinsky.ru/en
The Kremlin Ballet Theatre was founded by the famous Russian choreographer Andrei Petrov in 1990. Its ballets both classical and modern are performed at the Kremlin Palace which is located within the Moscow Kremlin. www.kremlin-gkd.ru
The Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory was founded in 1866. As well as being one of the leading music academies in Russia, it is also one of the best classical music venues in Moscow. It stages recitals, symphony, choral, organ and chamber concerts, as well as master classes, music festivals and competitions. www.mosconsv.ru/english.phtml
The Obraztsov Puppet Theatre in Moscow is the largest puppet theatre in the world. It has performances both for children and adults. The theatre's most famous show, "The Unusual Concert", has been achieving full houses for over 60 years and it has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records. http://www.puppet.ru/
Museums of Russia
The State Tretyakov Art Gallery in Moscow is one of the largest art galleries in Russia, with over 100,000 works of Russian art. The Gallery collection was started by Pavel Tretyakov, the owner of a successful textile firm, and was first opened to the public in 1870. www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/
The Moscow Kremlin comprises a large architectural ensemble which is represented by a sequence of breath-taking monuments which have been built over an extended period of time from the late XVth to XXth centuries; these include the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals, the Annunciation Cathedral, the Palace of Patriarch of the XVII century, Ivan the Great's bell tower, and the Armory Chamber - the Treasury, with its fabulous collection of jewels. www.kreml.ru
The Cathedral of St. Vasily the Blessed, or St. Basil's Cathedral, to give it its more familiar name in English, stands in the heart of the Moscow Red Square. It is a notable landmark and a favourite tourist destination. The Cathedral was built in fulfillment of a vow made by the Czar Ivan the Terrible just before he undertook his campaign against the khanate of Kazan in 1552. www.saintbasil.ru/en/index.html
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow has an extensive collection of tinted plaster casts of famous ancient, medieval and Renaissance sculptures in addition to a collection of original works - works of art from Ancient Egypt, as well as other antiquities and European paintings of the VII-XVIII centuries. www.museum.ru/gmii
The Moscow Museum of Modern Art is the museum that concentrates its activities exclusively on the art of the 20th and 21st centuries. It includes a fine collection of Russian avant-garde, from Malevich to Pirosmani and Non-Conformist art from the period between 1960 to 1990. www.mmoma.ru/en
The Russian Academy of Arts is housed in a beautiful 18th century mansion located in the centre of Moscow. The exhibition halls of the Russian Academy of Arts offer diverse exhibitions of both modern Russian and foreign artists. www.en.rah.ru
The Museum of Contemporary History of Russia in Moscow contains a large collection of materials and documents relating to Russian history post-1851 to the present day. The Museum also serves as a centre for study and research for Russian contemporary history. www.sovr.ru/
The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the largest and greatest museums in the world. The collection occupies more than 350 halls in 5 different buildings and includes the Winter Palace, the former residence of the Russian tsars. The museum collection has over 3 million exhibits which date from prehistoric to modern times. www.hermitage.ru, www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/index.html
The Russian Museum in St Petersburg was the first state museum of Russian fine art in the country, established in 1895. Today it is a unique depository of artistic treasures, a famous restoration centre, an authoritative institute of academic research, and one of the major cultural and educational centres. www.rusmuseum.ru
The Vodka History Museum will give you a chance to get acquainted with history of Russian vodka, from its early origins to the present day recipes. You will learn the secrets of the vodka production process and become acquainted with the main ingredients of the Russian national drink. You may even have time to taste! www.vodkamuseum.ru
The Palace of Peterhof, which stands on the Gulf of Finland, is known as a place of fountains. The hydrofoil from St Petersburg makes for an especially spectacular approach. The palace was built near St Petersburg by the Russian Czar Peter the Great as his country residence and as a Northern version of the French palace of Versailles. www.peterhofmuseum.ru
The Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, "Kunstkamera", is the oldest Russian State Museum. Founded by Peter the Great in 1714, its purpose was to collect and examine natural and human curiosities and rarities. As of today, the Kunstkamera collection contains well over a million artifacts and it reflects the diversity of traditional cultures in both the Old and New Worlds. www.kunstkamera.ru/en
The St Petersburg Nabokov Museum is dedicated to the memory and artistic legacy of Vladimir Nabokov, one of the XXth century's Literature greats. The Museum not only houses exhibits related to his life and milieu but also provides a research library for scholars. It stages many events and activities inspired by Nabokov, including readings of his works and of those he admired, such as Chekhov and Joyce. www.nabokovmuseum.org/en
The St Petersburg Fyodor Dostoevsky Memorial Museum was opened in 1971 to mark the 150th anniversary of the year of the Russian author's birth. His final years were spent in this apartment which houses the museum and his celebrated novel "Brothers Karamazov" was written here. Many of his personal belongings are exhibited, including books which have been donated by the author's descendants. www.md.spb.ru
The Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate "Yasnaya Polyana", is the former estate of Leo Tolstoy, who is forever associated with the novel "War and Peace". It is the place where he was born and also where he lived most of his life. His grave lies in the shade of trees within the forest. With its authentic buildings, surrounded by picturesque forests, orchards, and parks, it is the quintessential Russian estate from the world of the XIX century. www.yasnayapolyana.ru
The Vladimir and Suzdal Museums of History, Art and Architecture are part of "the Golden Ring", an area of ancient towns and villages north of Moscow. The Vladimir and Suzdal museums consist of 54 monuments from the XII - early XX centuries which are sited mainly within the historic towns of Vladimir, Suzdal and Gus-Khrustalny. Exhibitions are often held to showcase the masterpieces of Russian craftsmen, paintings and works of decorative-applied arts. www.vladmuseum.ru/eng
The Kizhi Open-Air Museum of History, Architecture and Ethnography is one of the largest open-air museums in Russia. It is an island within Lake Onega, and comprises an evocative collection of wooden churches and associated buildings. It is a favourite tourist destination and it is listed within the World Heritage List of UNESCO. www.kizhi.karelia.ru
The Kirillo-Belozerski Historical Architectural Art Museum Reserve is situated within the walls of an old monastery on the banks of Siverskoye Lake in Northern Russia. Hidden behind these walls lies an old medieval town, complete with stone churches which span the XVth - XVIIIth centuries. Apart from architectural monuments, the museum houses a large collection of ancient Russian icons, old armour, coins, jewelry and folk art. www.kirmuseum.ru/en
The Holy Trinity - St. Sergius Lavra - Dating from the XIV century, St. Sergius Lavra represents one of the most important Russian monasteries. As well as being a spiritual centre, it is also a fascinating museum of Russian medieval art. www.stsl.ru
The Andrey Rublev Museum of Old Russian Art is the only museum in Russia which is dedicated to Russian Art from the Middle Ages. It is located within the walls of the medieval Spaso-Andronikov Monastery in Moscow, where the great Russian painter of icons, Andrey Rublev, lived, worked and was finally buried. www.rublev-museum.ru
The Tula Exotarium is one of the most visited museums in the town of Tula, a town which is just over 100 miles south of Moscow. It houses the world's largest collection of snakes and it has acquired a world-wide recognition on account of its breeding of rare animal species and study of reptiles and amphibians. www.tulazoo.ru/en/