Category: Russia
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Kazan, Russia
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The First Glimpse On a balmy June afternoon in Kazan, when the air carried the sweet scent of tilia blossoms drifting down from the boulevards, Amina Faridova stood beneath the soaring minarets of the Qolşärif Mosque. She was small of stature, with eyes that bore the depth of centuries and…
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Yekaterinburg, Russia
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The icy wind of late November swept across Plotinka, the historic dam on the Iset River, carrying with it the distant hum of trams and the muffled bustle of Yekaterinburg’s city centre. Patches of snow clung to the granite embankments, and the air smelled faintly of coal and cedar smoke…
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Novosibirsk, Russia
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It was late January in Novosibirsk, the heart of Siberia, where the Ob River lay under a thick, lacquered crust of ice. The chill in the air was sharp, slicing through even the heaviest fur coats that locals wore with practical pride. On the central embankment—by the towering statue of…
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Saint Petersburg, Russia
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Saint Petersburg, with its pale summer sun that barely dips below the horizon, was draped in the ethereal glow of the White Nights. Along Nevsky Prospekt, streetlamps cast long shadows across cobblestones worn smooth by centuries of footfalls. The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood rose ahead like a…
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Moscow, Russia
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Moscow, with its breathtaking mix of history and modernity, whispered secrets through the cobblestone streets and majestic avenues. On a crisp autumn afternoon, when the leaves turned a fiery red against the backdrop of ancient brick facades, a chance encounter unfolded near the heart of the city. Elena, known among…