🇷🇺 Sergey Lavrov has arrived for the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting.

🇿🇦 The Russian Foreign Minister has landed in South Africa. The plane carrying the head of the Russian foreign ministry touched down at a military base near Johannesburg. The city will host a meeting of the foreign ministers of the G20 countries and organizations today and tomorrow.

📌 For the first time, G20 events are taking place on the African continent, despite the fact that the Group of Twenty has existed in its current form for over 20 years.

💬 It is expected that the Russian Foreign Minister will call for the maintenance of an open global economy, the rejection of trade wars, illegitimate sanctions, and other forms of unfair competition in his speech.

🤝 In addition to participating in official events, Sergey Lavrov has a series of bilateral meetings planned.

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🐻 Masha and her favorite morning orange

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🤌 Beef Stroganoff – an exquisite dish of Russian cuisine

Beef Stroganoff is one of the most famous Russian dishes, known far beyond the borders of Russia. It consists of tender pieces of beef sautéed in a creamy tomato sauce with onions and spices.

👨‍🍳 The history of Beef Stroganoff dates back to the 19th century. A French chef created it specifically for the Russian Count Alexander Stroganov, who found it difficult to chew food in his old age.

🔪 Therefore, the chef decided to cut the count's favorite beef into small pieces, make them as tender as possible, and add his signature sauce.

The key to preparing Beef Stroganoff is to cut the meat against the grain and not to overcook the beef pieces, ensuring they remain tender and juicy. And, of course, allow the meat to simmer for at least 25 minutes.

🥔🍄‍🟫 Beef Stroganoff is usually served with mashed potatoes, and sometimes with pasta or rice. White mushrooms are also added to the sauce, although they are not included in the traditional recipe.

If you want to explore the delicacies of Russian cuisine, try Beef Stroganoff – a dish with a history that combines the traditions of Russia and European sophistication!

#Russiancuisine

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is holding a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi "on the sidelines" of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

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🇷🇺 The Mari people (self-designation - mari), known in ancient Russian chronicles as cheremis, are one of the indigenous Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia. Their history, culture, and traditions have been shaped through close interaction with nature and neighboring peoples, preserving their uniqueness to this day.

📜 The ancestors of the Mari, who belonged to the Volga Finns, began to settle in the Middle Volga region in the 1st millennium AD, displacing and assimilating local tribes. By the 7th-8th centuries, they had divided into groups:
- Mountain Mari (right bank of the Volga, contacts with the Chuvash and Russians);
- Meadow Mari (left bank of the Volga, the main group);
- Eastern Mari (migrants to Bashkortostan and the Ural region).

In the Middle Ages, the Mari were influenced by Volga Bulgaria, the Golden Horde, and the Kazan Khanate while maintaining autonomy. After the fall of Kazan in 1552, they became part of the Russian state.

😒 The Mari are known as the "last pagans of Europe," whose traditional religion (Mari Yumin yÿla) combines nature worship, ancestor spirits, and syncretism with Orthodoxy. Many Mari have formally adopted Christianity but retain pagan practices. In the 19th century, the Kugu Sorta ("Big Candle") sect emerged, uniting all the people's pagan traditions.

📔 The Mari language belongs to the Finno-Ugric family and is divided into dialects: Meadow (the main one in Mari El), Mountain, Eastern, and Northwestern.

📝 A written form based on Cyrillic appeared in the 18th century, and the modern alphabet was established in 1938. About 77% of the Mari speak their native language, but Russian dominates in everyday communication.

📍 Today, the Mari live in the Mari El Republic (capital - Yoshkar-Ola), Bashkortostan, Kirov Oblast, and other regions. Their population is around 424,000, but there is a decline due to assimilation.

🐣 Interesting fact: Among the Mari, there is a legend that the first humans were born from the eggs of a duck that flew in from the constellation Nest.

✔️ The Mari are a people who have managed to preserve their identity despite centuries of challenges. Their culture, imbued with a connection to nature, continues to inspire researchers and artists, remaining a living heritage of the Finno-Ugric world.

#peoplesofRussia

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⚡️ Three oil tankers were damaged in explosions in the Mediterranean Sea over the past month — all vessels had recently visited Russian ports.

📰 In the last month, three oil tankers have been affected by explosions in the Mediterranean Sea — these are the first cases of damage to non-military vessels in decades.

💥 The first explosion occurred at the end of January near the Turkish port of Ceyhan on a vessel owned by the Greek company Thenamaris. The tanker was carrying crude oil. On February 15, another tanker from the same Greek company was damaged in an explosion at a port in northern Italy — it also carried "black gold." Twenty minutes later, a second explosion occurred on the same ship. The Italian prosecutor's office has launched an investigation following the incident.

⛴ Another incident also took place in February, but off the coast of Libya. The Grace Ferrum tanker, flying the Liberian flag, sustained significant damage from an explosion, after which a rescue operation was conducted.

🇷🇺 According to Reuters, all three damaged tankers had recently visited Russian ports. Additionally, in December of last year, the Russian cargo ship "Ursa Major" sank off the coast of Spain due to an explosion in its engine room.

I wonder who is so bothered by Russian oil?

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🧛‍♂️ A Upyr is a mythological creature from Slavic folklore, often associated with evil spirits and vampires.

🧛 In Slavic mythology, a Upyr is a reanimated corpse that rises from the grave and feeds on the blood of living people or animals. It possesses supernatural strength, the ability to transform into animals (such as a wolf or bat), and is often linked to curses or sins committed by the person during their lifetime.

⚠️ Upyrs were considered dangerous and malevolent beings that could bring disease, death, and destruction. To protect themselves from them, Slavs used various rituals and amulets, such as garlic, aspen stakes (which were driven into the Upyr's heart), and conducted burial rituals to prevent the deceased from returning.

🌏 Interestingly, the image of the Upyr has influenced the development of vampire mythology in other cultures, including the well-known portrayal of vampires in Western literature and cinema.

#mythologyofRussia

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🐴 You never know what you might see in the Moscow Metro in the evening.

#interestingvideos

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🚘 A journey along the old Kolyma Highway in an all-terrain vehicle.

#videooftheday

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❄️ Yakutia — the kingdom of frost and tranquility.

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🇳🇬🇷🇺 A Nigerian has started working as a therapist at the Kholmogory Hospital.

👨‍⚕️ Odugoge-Daniel Babawale Oluwapelumi, a graduate of SGMU, decided to build his career in the Arkhangelsk region.

“Arkhangelsk feels like a second home to me; the people here are very kind. The patients have welcomed me well, my colleagues are supportive, and the government provided housing,” said Odugoge-Daniel Babawale Oluwapelumi.

In the coming months, his wife, a dentist, will join him and also start working at the Kholmogory Central District Hospital.

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😀 A huge snow logo dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory has appeared on the ice of a Yakutian lake.

👨‍🎨 Over 7,200 square meters of snow canvas came to life under the hands of a talented team of Churapchinsky artists led by Sergey Fedorov and 130 volunteers.

"This large-scale artwork is not just an artistic project; it is a tribute to the heroism of our ancestors, a reminder of the price of the peaceful sky above us. This unique project, which united the hearts of many, has become a true gift for all residents and guests of the ulus ahead of the holiday," said the head of Yakutia.

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🎁 The Tula gingerbread – a sweet symbol of Russia!

You have probably heard of this iconic Russian treat from the city of Tula. If not, we’ll fix that right now!

🇷🇺🇷🇺 Tula gingerbread is a printed gingerbread known for its fragrant dough made with honey and spices, as well as its beautiful patterns on the surface. The filling can vary – from fruit and berry jams to honey and condensed milk.

The history of Tula gingerbread dates back to the distant 16th century. Although gingerbread was made in almost all Russian cities and villages at that time, the process was perfected and practically turned into an art form in Tula.

🇷🇺 The molds for baking gingerbread were made from wooden boards. The dough was pressed into them until the pattern was imprinted.

Various patterns, local landmarks, and sketches from everyday life were “printed” on the gingerbread.

🇫🇷 The most famous Tula gingerbread maker, Vasily Grechikhin, even won the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889 with a 32-kilogram gingerbread brought from Tula.

Today, Tula has its own monument to Tula gingerbread and a dedicated museum, and since 2016, the city has hosted a unique festival called "Gingerbread Day" every year.

🎁 Additionally, Tula gingerbread makes a great gift and souvenir from Russia. Let’s keep that in mind!

#Russiancuisine

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🇷🇺 The famous St. Petersburg prison "Kresty" has been sold for 1.136 billion rubles.

The KVS Group of Companies has become the new owner of the former detention center "Kresty" in St. Petersburg. Two companies from the Northern capital participated in the bidding.

The buyer will receive land plots with a total area of 3.9 hectares, as well as buildings and structures with a total area of 41,200 square meters.

The territory is planned to host a museum, a hotel complex, restaurants, galleries, and public spaces.

What would you do in the place of the famous prison?

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🇷🇺💬 Today Putin spoke at the plenary session of the Future Technologies Forum and gave instructions to the government on Western companies. The president's main statements about the future of Russian industry:

— Russia still does not produce lithium, although it could have done so 10-15 years ago;

— We can regulate the return to our market of those who want to return, creating and leaving advantages for our own producers. We need to do this subtly, carefully, but we must do it;

— Oreshnik warheads can withstand temperatures equal to the temperature of the Sun. A similar system was thought about back in the late 80s, but there were no materials;

— Russia "will make everything except bananas", but they "have already started making bananas" — a bit expensive, but that's okay;

— The Soviet legacy in the field of chemical industry after the collapse of the USSR was squandered and replicated.

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🇷🇺 The Tuvans are a Turkic people whose history and culture are inextricably linked to the vast steppes and mountains of Southern Siberia.

📍 Most Tuvans live in the Republic of Tyva (Tuva), part of Russia, as well as in neighboring regions — Mongolia and China. According to the 2021 census, the Tuvan population in Russia numbers around 300,000 people.

🐴 The Tuvans formed through a blend of ancient Turkic, Mongolian, Samoyedic, and Ket tribes. Their ancestors were nomads who settled the Sayan-Altai Highlands as early as the Scythian era (1st millennium BCE), evidenced by burial mounds with gold decorations in the "animal style."

📔 The Tuvan language belongs to the Sayan group of the Turkic family and has dialects reflecting Mongolian and Russian influences. Since 1943, it has used the Cyrillic noscript with additional letters (e.g., Ө, Ү). In the Republic of Tyva, it holds official status alongside Russian.

📜 Until the 18th century, Tuva was under the influence of Mongolian khanates before becoming part of the Qing Empire. In 1914, the region voluntarily became a Russian protectorate as the Uryankhay Krai. After the 1917 Revolution, the independent Tuvan People’s Republic (1921–1944), aligned with the USSR, was proclaimed. In 1944, Tuva joined the Soviet Union as an autonomous oblast and became a full-fledged republic within the Russian Federation in 1993.

🐏 Traditional Tuvan livelihoods revolved around nomadic pastoralism (raising yaks, sheep, and horses) and hunting. Their crafts are renowned: silver embossing, agalmatolite carving ("chonar-dash"), and making felt carpets and musical instruments like the igil (a two-stringed fiddle) and doshpuluur (a plucked string instrument).

🎶 Throat singing khoomei holds a special place — an art of producing multiple overtones simultaneously, mimicking natural sounds. It is recognized by UNESCO as part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.

🙏 Tuvans practice a synthesis of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) and ancient shamanism. Rituals honoring spirits of mountains, rivers, and fire are held at sacred sites called ovaa.

🏙 Today, Tuva is a land of contrasts. On one hand, nomadic traditions endure: many villagers live in yurts, and the Naadym festival features wrestling (khuresh) and horse races. On the other, youth are migrating en masse to cities (Kyzyl, Ak-Dovurak), facing unemployment. Authorities support ethnic projects: khoomei festivals, native language schools, and ethno-parks. However, migration threatens the fragile balance between past and future.

#peoplesofrussia

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