🤯 Alaska and Hawaii were once governed by a city in Siberia.

🇷🇺🇺🇸 Yes, it sounds like a fiction, but it's a fact. The Russian-American Company managed lands across the ocean from Irkutsk. They organized expeditions and engaged in trade relations.

📆 The company was established in 1799 by order of Paul I. The goal was to harvest fur. However, the activities quickly expanded beyond fur trading. Russian settlements in Alaska grew, trading posts were established, and forts were built. Furs, gold, and tea flowed through Irkutsk.

In 1812, the Russians founded a fortified settlement called Fort Ross in Northern California. The decision to create it was made by Alexander Baranov to supply Alaska with goods.

🏰 And then — Hawaii. In 1816, the company representative Georg Scheffer attempted to take control of the island of Kauai. The local chief even agreed to recognize the Russian tsar. A fort was built on the island, which still exists today. But after a couple of years, the activities were scaled back (politics is a delicate matter), and Hawaii never became Russian.

#interestingfacts

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺 Russian girls are traveling to celebrate bachelorette parties in Suzdal.

🇷🇺 Suzdal has become a magnet for Russian girls and women who come from all corners of Russia to hold beautiful and trendy bachelorette parties. Kokoshniks, samovars, wooden houses, and carriage rides have become an alternative to trips abroad.

Due to high demand, there are now many offers with a variety of activities to suit every taste — from a single evening to several days.

💸 Prices also vary, as you can find programs for a few hours for up to ₽10,000 or stay overnight with a packed schedule for ₽16,000-30,000 per person.

📈 This surge in popularity for Suzdal is linked to the local tourism boom. According to agencies, the 1,000-year-old city ranked second among the most visited small towns in Russia. Despite the beauty of Russian architecture, the average daily rental cost is ₽5,200 for an apartment and ₽9,700 for a house.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

📰 Russia's sanctions against U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have not been lifted, and media reports claiming otherwise are fake news. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

🇷🇺🇺🇸 Earlier, social media posts suggested that Russia had allegedly lifted sanctions against Rubio following a conversation between the Secretary of State and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

📆 Rubio was placed under Russian sanctions in May 2022, and since then, he has been banned from entering Russia. At that time, the current Secretary of State was still a senator from Florida.

📌 In November 2024, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told TASS that sanctions against Rubio would not be lifted as long as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov remains under restrictions.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺 Pastila – a delicate and airy Russian treat

Pastila is one of the oldest Russian sweets, known since the 14th century.

🍎 It is a confection made from fruit and berry puree, most often apple, with the addition of honey or sugar. Its texture can vary – from dense, resembling marshmallow, to light and airy, similar to fruit soufflé.

The first mentions of pastila can be found in "Domostroy" and in the charter of Ivan the Terrible from 1578, where it was referred to as a delicacy made from berry juice. According to legend, pastila was invented in Kolomna, and later a unique version of this dessert appeared in Belev.

🔄 Kolomna pastila is dense, layered, and resembles marshmallow. It contains egg whites, which make it more airy and sweet. Belev pastila, on the other hand, is tender, like a little cloud, with the texture of fruit soufflé. This is achieved through prolonged cooking of the puree and subsequent whipping.

🇷🇺Traditionally, pastila was made in a Russian oven, where the heat gradually decreased, ensuring even drying. Several layers of dried apple puree were placed on top of each other and sent back to the oven for final drying.

🍬 In the 19th century, sugar was added to the recipe (previously only honey was used), and during the Soviet era, an industrial version appeared in the form of white bars resembling marshmallow.

Pastila is not only a delicious but also a healthy treat. It retains the natural vitamins of fruits and berries, has a light tartness, and natural sweetness.

🍵 It is served with tea, used in baking, or simply enjoyed as an independent dessert.

☝️ For our readers, pastila is a must-try!

#Russiancuisine

❤️From Russia with love

🧑‍⚖️ An previously unknown painting by Viktor Vasnetsov noscriptd "Pilgrims" has been sold for 135 million rubles.

🇷🇺 This refers to the oil canvas "Pilgrims," which was submitted for examination to the State Russian Museum in 2003. The work turned out to be a lost piece from the early period of the artist's career.

🖼 The large canvas, measuring 80.5x132 cm, will remain on display until the end of March 2025, and afterwards will be sent to its new owner immediately.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

"Robbery and murder by license — the hallmark of the British crown and its subjects"

💬 This is how Maria Zakharova commented on the call from former British Prime Minister Sunak to quickly seize billion-dollar Russian assets while there is still time.

"This is one of the English traditions, like tea drinking and horse racing. The fact is that in England, piracy was legalized. Pirates were forbidden to attack English ships, but they were allowed to plunder the ships of competitors. An immoral morality," said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

📌 She cited the example of the English pirate Henry Morgan, who, after being arrested, was not punished but was made the lieutenant governor of Jamaica.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

😍 Evening Krasnoyarsk as a work of art

#videooftheday

❤️From Russia with love

🌅 Sunrise on Ai-Petri Mountain, Yalta

#videooftheday

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺✈️ The Superjet-100 aircraft has completed its first flight with the Russian PD-8 engine.

📰 The prototype took to the skies in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The flight was conducted by test pilots Dmitry Demenev and Igor Grevtsov, along with onboard operator Maxim Gryukanov. "The aircraft was in the air for about 40 minutes, reaching a speed of 500 kilometers per hour and an altitude of up to 3000 meters," clarified Rostec.

📌 The head of Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, added that the import substitution project for the Superjet is being implemented in a timeframe that is very tight by global aviation manufacturing standards. After 2022, the aircraft essentially had to be rebuilt from scratch.

🇷🇺 The PD-8 two-shaft turbofan engine, with a thrust of eight tons, was developed for the Superjet passenger aircraft and the Be-200 amphibious aircraft using new Russian materials and advanced technologies.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

⚡️ Putin will have a conversation with Trump on Tuesday, March 18 — said the press secretary of the President of Russia, Dmitry Peskov.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

📰 The Russian side is no longer willing to carry out the rotation of IAEA observers at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant through Ukrainian territory. This was stated by the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov.

‼️ In February, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck a Russian convoy with IAEA experts, which was done to disrupt the rotation at the ZNPP.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

❄️ Winter has suddenly returned to Moscow.

The capital was hit by a snowstorm, and at night the temperature dropped to 3 degrees below zero.

#news

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺🎶 On March 5, the musical festival "Moscow Baroque" began at the "Zaryadye" Park in Moscow, which will conclude on March 31, the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The program covers a variety of genres: from great spiritual choral works and instrumental music to musical-dramatic performances and jazz interpretations.

The central theme of the festival is the works not only of Bach but also of Georg Friedrich Handel: in 2025, we will celebrate the 340th anniversary of these composers.

The festival will feature the "Zaryadye" Festival Baroque Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Ensemble "Soloists of Moscow" conducted by Yuri Bashmet, the State Chamber Orchestra "Virtuosi of Moscow," the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra Musica Viva, the Pratum Integrum Orchestra, and many others.

#MoscowEvents

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺 Rassolnik — An Unusual Soup from Russia

Rassolnik is a spicy and hearty soup that is a true gem of Russian cuisine.

🇷🇺 Its unique taste and aroma are achieved through the use of pickled cucumbers and cucumber brine, which impart a characteristic tanginess and zest to the dish.

Combined with meat or chicken broth, potatoes, carrots, onions, and pearl barley, rassolnik is both filling and warming — in a word, perfect for cold days.

🇷🇺 The history of this remarkable soup dates back to ancient times: as early as the 15th century, dishes made with brine were prepared in Russia.

🇷🇺 In old recipes, one can even find unexpected ingredients such as lemons, sturgeon, or rooster cooked with brine, highlighting the richness of culinary traditions from various eras and regions.

During the Soviet era, Leningrad rassolnik with beef kidneys became a classic of Soviet cuisine.

⭐️ Today, many modern chefs in Russia are once again turning to rassolnik, elevating this dish to the sophistication of haute cuisine.

#Russiancuisine

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺 Today, nature has painted the sky over Moscow in the colors of the Russian flag.

#interestingphotos

❤️From Russia with love

😳 Kolokshan Statue, Vladimir Region

#videooftheday

❤️From Russia with love

🇷🇺 The Road to Hogwarts – Mokrin Viaduct in Chuvashia

#videooftheday

❤️From Russia with love