“Aquarium or Akvarium (Russian: Аквариум) is a Russian rock group, formed in Leningrad in 1972 by Boris Grebenshchikov (Борис Гребенщиков), then a student of Applied Mathematics at Leningrad State University, and Anatoly (George) Gunitsky, then a playwright and absurdist poet”. – Wikipedia

While communism, collectivism, worms, dry rot and casual looting failed to destroy the majestic wooden churches of Russia, it may be ordinary neglect that finally does them in. Dwindled now to several hundred remaining examples, these glories of vernacular architecture lie scattered amid the vastness of the world’s largest country. Just over a decade ago, Richard Davies, a British architectural photographer, struck out on a mission to record the fragile and poetic structures. Austerely beautiful and haunting, “Wooden Churches: Traveling in the Russian North” (White Sea Publishing; $132) is the result. Covering thousands of miles, Mr. Davies described how he and the writer Matilda Moreton tracked down the survivors from among the thousands of onion-domed structures built after Prince Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988.

“NTV (Cyrillic: НТВ) is a Russian television channel. As a subsidiary of Vladimir Gusinsky's company Media-Most, it was a pioneer in the post-Soviet independent television media, but was later taken over by state-owned Gazprom”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A woman with “I love NTV” painted on here face cheers in support of the independent Russian NTV television station April 7, 2001 during a rally in Moscow. Thousands of people gathered in the rain to show their support for Russia's only national independent television station in its fight against new owners. (Photo by Oleg Nikishin/Newsmakers)

Отава Ё – Яблочко (Otava Yo – Yablochko; Russian: Яблочко, “Little Apple”). Yablochko is a Russian folk song of chastushka style and dance, traditionally presented as sailors' dance. The choreographed version of the dance first appeared in the 1926 Reinhold Glière ballet The Red Poppy and from there is known in the West as the Russian Sailors Dance.

Russian servicemen drive a partially covered T-14 Armata tank along a street before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, April 29, 2015. Russia will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two on May 9. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters)

Krastsvetmet, located beside the beautiful Yensei river in the metropolis of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, is a refinery of all types of precious metals on an industrial scale.

Children fall as they slide down on a float along a chute to cross a pool of water and foam during the “Letniy Gornoluzhnik” (Summer mountain puddle rider) festival at the Bobroviy Log Fun Park near the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, August 23, 2015. The annual competition marks the end of the summer season at the Siberian ski, rest and entertainment resort. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

A woman walks in a street in freezing weather of –24 degrees Celsius in Omsk, Russia on January 13, 2021. Daytime temperatures have been below –20 degrees Celsius in the Omsk Region since 25 December 2020. (Photo by Yevgeny Sofiychuk/TASS)