17041
Main chat: http://bit.ly/3XUF9SE Learn Russian chat: @gatewaytorussia Stories&more: @gw2rucombot Queries: @pulya We are the world’s largest community of people interested in Russia
At the Primorsky Aquarium, more than 30 Humboldt penguins each have their own personality. Some pose for the camera, some hop onto the scale by themselves, and after their first molt, the chicks smell like wet dog.
Olga Demina - “Mother of Penguins” - knows everything about her charges and shares it all on social media.
Scroll to see the daily life of Vladivostok’s softest, velvety birds.
🔔 Gateway to Russia
When did the Russians first clash with the French forces on the battlefield?
This took place in 1734 during the War of the Polish Succession. Two coalitions of European powers were vying for control over a weakened Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, each attempting to install its own candidate on the throne. Russia, Austria and Saxony supported Augustus III, while France and Spain backed Stanisław Leszczyński.
On February 22, Russian troops under Field Marshal Burkhard Münnich laid siege to Danzig, which was held by Leszczyński’s supporters. In the spring, King Louis XV of France dispatched a naval squadron and a force of approximately 2,500 men led by Gabriel de Lapeyrouse to aid the besieged. The troops landed near the city and, on May 27, attempted to break through Russian lines to link up with the city's garrison. The attempt failed disastrously, resulting in the deaths of over 200 soldiers.
Münnich’s troops, joined by Saxon forces, subjected the French camp to heavy artillery fire, while the Russian navy simultaneously maintained an effective blockade from the sea. On June 22, La Pérouse’s soldiers laid down their arms and, on July 7, Danzig capitulated. France lost the war and, in 1738, Leszczyński renounced his claim to the Polish throne.
Credit: Public domain
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Hey everyone! We want to compare views of Russia from inside... and from outside! 🇷🇺
So, that's why we're asking the following question to both our foreign and Russian-speaking readers:
Who/What do you think is the most famous Russian...
1) writer
2) musician
3) artist
4) city
5) artifact, souvenir or item?
We're eagerly waiting for your answers in the comments! 🤓
What was going on in Russia during the Norman Conquest of England?
On the morning of September 28, 1066, the army of Duke William of Normandy – known as William the Bastard – landed on the southern coast of England. Just a few days earlier, Anglo-Saxon King Harold II had barely managed to repel a Norwegian invasion, leaving him without the resources and strength to face this new threat. By 1072, the entire country had been conquered by the Normans, who completely transformed not only its political and social structures, but even its language and culture.
At that time, the Old Russian state was jointly ruled by the three sons of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise of Kiev: Izyaslav, Sviatoslav and Vsevolod. Izyaslav, the eldest, ruled Kiev and formally occupied the position of supreme authority, yet he resolved key state matters in consultation with his brothers. This arrangement went down in history as the ‘Triumvirate of the Yaroslavichi’.
In 1068, the brothers' position faced a severe test. Nomadic Polovtsian tribes defeated their forces at the ‘Battle of the Alta River’ and Izyaslav’s refusal to arm the citizens of Kiev to fight the enemy sparked an uprising that led to his ousting. The townspeople installed Prince Vseslav Bryachislavich of Polotsk on the throne and the triumvirate had to exert considerable effort to restore the status quo.
The brothers' final major joint undertaking was the compilation, in the early 1070s, of a code of laws known as the ‘Justice of the Yaroslavichi’ (‘Pravda Yaroslavichey’). In 1073, the triumvirate collapsed when Sviatoslav and Vsevolod accused Izyaslav of conspiring with Vseslav of Polotsk – the very prince against whom they had all been fighting for years. The once-exiled ruler managed to regain power only four years later, but was killed almost immediately during yet another inter-princely feud.
Credit: Public domain
🔔 Gateway to Russia
The State Kremlin Palace opened 65 years ago
To build it, the old Armoury and part of the Patriarch’s Palace within the Moscow Kremlin were demolished – and the building’s structural integrity was tested using… dancing!
Until the late 1950s, Communist Party congresses were held in various locations, including the Bolshoi Theater. Nikita Khrushchev decided that such events required a dedicated venue.
The project for the new palace – designed in the Soviet modernist style – was developed by architect Mikhail Posokhin, who also designed the high-rise building on Kudrinskaya Square. Originally designed to accommodate 4,000 people, the capacity was increased to 6,000 at the insistence of Khrushchev, who had been impressed by the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. After a lengthy selection process, the grounds within the Kremlin walls were chosen as the site.
During construction, according to various sources, the building’s structural integrity was tested: first, soldiers marched through the future halls and foyers and, later, a dance evening was held there.
The palace was erected in just 16 months, with the high-priority construction project completed in 1961. Its facades gleamed with white Ural marble and the coat of arms of the USSR, rendered in gold, shone above the main entrance. The auditorium’s massive stage could hold 1,000 people at a time, while the foyers were adorned with mosaic panels by Alexander Deineka, depicting the 15 flags of the Soviet republics.
The very first audience to enter the Kremlin Palace of Congresses consisted of the construction workers themselves. The venue went on to host Communist Party congresses, as well as sessions of the Congress of People’s Deputies and meetings of Komsomol and trade union organizations. It was also there that the inaugurations of Boris Yeltsin took place in 1991 and 1996 – first as the first president of the RSFSR and, subsequently, as the first president of Russia. To this day, the State Kremlin Palace hosts the country’s main New Year’s tree celebration, as well as numerous other concerts and events.
Credit: Legion Media; Mikhail Kuleshov/Sputnik; Public domain
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Set off from Moscow and spend 3-5-7 days enjoying the views of true old Russia! And with no seasickness… 🛥
Читать полностью…
⭐️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ Everyday life in Russia
Cossack festival in Krasnodar Territory
🔔 Gateway to Russia
The Lev Tolstoy ‘Yasnaya Polyana’ Literary Award has announced the 2026 winners. Past recipients include Julian Barnes, Orhan Pamuk and other international writers.
https://www.gw2ru.com/arts/258290-how-leo-tolstoy-continues-to-honor-foreign-writers
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Let’s learn some transport vocabulary today! 🚎
❓What’s your favourite one?
📸Irina Griskova, aapsky, David Freund, Hans Neleman, den-belitsky,guvendemir/Getty Images
#russianclasses
💥 Gateway to Russia
Learn the language of Russian gestures!
Tips from foreign students learning Russian. Filmed at the 4rd International Congress of Student Media.
📽️ Video by:
Afsarzada Arman, Safaryan Meri, Malina Amaliya, Nikita Osipyan, Babalakov Selim, Cengiz Atakan
How to take part in the Kostomarov Forum, the main event in the world of Russian studies
From November 18 to 20, 2026, the 6th Kostomarov Forum will be held at the Pushkin Institute in Moscow, where leading world experts on teaching Russian as a foreign language will gather.
The annual Kostomarov Forum was established in 2021 in memory of Academician Vitaly Kostomarov. This year, his brainchild – the Pushkin Russian Language Institute – turns 60.
The central theme of this year's Kostomarov Forum is: ‘Teach communication, not language’. What does it mean to teach communication in the era of artificial intelligence? How can students be prepared for communication in real life?
Over the three days of the forum, Russian and foreign specialists in Russian studies will reflect together on these and other questions, share ideas and personal teaching experience.
And you can take part, too! Registration and a detailed program are available on the forum's official website.
The forum will be held in person and remotely.
🔥🌆 Crimson sunset paints the sky over Moscow
Video by: Ruptly
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Question time!
What Russian city would you like to visit most?
🤓Gateway to Russia
The motorcycle season has officially closed. Riders gathered across the capital for their traditional end-of-season event — a final mass ride before the cold sets in…!
Video by: /t.me/DtRoad
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Moscow held a massive harvest festival, where farmers raced in their own giant pumpkins! 🎃🛶🍂
Video by: Ruptly
🔔 Gateway to Russia
In 1852, Nikolai Gogol threw the manuscript of the second volume of ‘Dead Souls’ into the fire. Nearly 200 years later, neural networks took up the task…
🔔 Gateway to Russia
⭐️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ Everyday life in Russia
Fog in St. Petersburg
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Snail hitches a free ride on car mirror in Krasnodar 🐌🚗
Video by: Ruptly
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Heavy snowfall blankets Russia's Chelyabinsk region ❄️🚗
Video by: Ruptly
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Borovsk is a small town just 100 km from Moscow and definitely deserves your attention and can be a great destination for a weekend trip!
This charming town was once an important defensive outpost and one of the country's religious centers.
Today, you can still take walks among such natural beauty. In Borovsk, take a moment to look at modern street art, have some Russian-style lunch and buy some souvenirs.
#RussianLanguageExported
🔔 Gateway to Russia
360° Kamchatka: Dive headfirst into the Pacific Ocean – virtually! 😲🤿👌
Video by: t.me/elf_s_dronom
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Fall at ‘Moskino’ Cinema Park: Where movie sets meet golden leaves… 🎥🍂
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Did you know that the Romanovs listened to operas from the Mariinsky Theater… on the PHONE?
The Russian imperial family was very fond of music. It was also performed at the Romanovs’ country residences: artists of the Mariinsky Theater were frequent guests in Gatchina. And with the advent of telephone communications in the imperial palaces in 1882, the princes didn’t even need to travel anywhere.
Operas and musical concerts were listened to via the ‘théâtrophone’: microphones were installed around the perimeter of the stage and, from there, the sound was transmitted via two channels to receivers. “Ever since they installed a telephone line from the theaters - the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky - we have been listening to the opera, as have Father and Mother after their lunch. We speak with the operator of this line or with other people,” wrote Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future Nicholas II, in December 1882. His brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, was also surrounded by music. “The other day, Tranze, Taube, Drozd-Bonyachevsky and Klevezal had dinner at my place; afterward, we went to listen to the opera on the telephone. “It was quite comical to see our group sitting along the walls of the bathroom, listening through the telephones,” he recalled.
Credit: Public domain
🔔 Gateway to Russia
The sands and pyramids of Egypt, the gardens of Tunisia and the narrow streets of Morocco – this is how Russian artists saw Africa.
🔔 Gateway to Russia
The Belgorodsky Monastery near Perm is also known as the Ural’s ‘Athos’…
Video by: t.me/parmatime
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Their first - and last - voyage took place in the Far North, in places where no one had ever been before.
🔔 Gateway to Russia
How persecution, insular communities and religious ethics made them the pioneers of Russian capitalism – and why, by the early 20th century, they controlled 64% of the country's capital.
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Guess the gender of these Russian words!
P.S. Catch more of my lessons russian.classes8">on TikTok!
#russianclasses
🔔 Gateway to Russia
Did you know that writer Andrei Bely invented his own dances?
Bely's friends and colleagues knew that whenever he started dancing, everyone else paled in comparison. His performance was always wild, strange and hypnotic.
His passion for dance began in childhood: young Boris ‘Borya’ Bugayev (the poet's real name), having watched ballerinas at the Bolshoi Theater, came up with the idea of parodying them. As a result, he invented his own unique dance moves. According to his contemporaries, as soon as the music started playing, Bely would grab the first woman he came across and begin twirling her. "We danced to the rhythm of the one-step or the shimmy and also a dance he invented himself that had nothing in common with fashionable dances of the time. But, the audience was so delighted that they even gave me flowers," recalled poet Vera Lurye.
Having found himself in Berlin in the early 1920s, the poet went out every evening to dance in bars and cafes. What the regulars saw resembled neither the quickstep nor the foxtrot. Marina Tsvetaeva dubbed Bely's dances "Christ dancing". According to the memoirs of poet Vladislav Khodasevich, these wild, strange dances took on a demonic, almost ritualistic (but, by no means erotic) character. Often, the young ladies who rashly agreed to dance with him would burst into tears. The other dancers tried to move as far away as possible and Bely was soon left alone with his dance.
Credit: Gateway to Russia (Photo: Legion Media; Bettmann/Getty Images)
🔔 Gateway to Russia