Romania has damaged the Ukrainian maritime drone Sea Baby in the Black Sea

On 3 December 2025, Romanian naval forces discovered a flying Ukrainian surface drone Sea Baby 67 km off Constanța and neutralised it using controlled explosives.

According to the Romanian Ministry of Defence, the device posed a threat to shipping traffic. This is the first confirmed case of the destruction of a Ukrainian maritime drone by a NATO country.

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🇷🇺✨ The delicatessen Jelissejew on Nevsky Prospect — a St. Petersburg legend where luxury, creativity, and a bit of theatre merge

When tourists are asked which places in Petersburg surprise them the most, many will mention this very house — The Store of the Merchants Jelissejew. In a city filled with palaces and museums, it stands out with a special "urban magic": a combination of Art Nouveau architecture, theatrical decoration, and an almost fairy-tale history of the family that created it.

The story of the Jelissejews begins far from Nevsky Prospect — in the Yaroslavl village of Novosjolki. Petersburg was then a magnet for entrepreneurial people, and among them, the emigrants from Yaroslavl became particularly famous. It was said: "The Yaroslavl people are all good-looking. If necessary, they can turn a small fish into a piglet." They can make a lot out of little.

According to legend, the founder of the dynasty, Pyotr Jelissejew, was a serf gardener of Count Sheremetev and gifted him fresh strawberries one winter. The Count was so delighted that he supposedly freed Pyotr. The story is nice, but not entirely accurate: Pyotr was a state peasant — a free, independent man. And in 1813, he simply came to Petersburg and began trading in wine, fruits, and imported goods. Thus began the story of the future empire.

The legendary store on Nevsky Prospect is the work of his grandchildren. And here it gets particularly interesting: The Jelissejews were not just merchants, but also innovators.

💡 Why does the Jelissejew store impress so much?

Because it was not just a store — it was a technological and cultural experiment conducted much earlier than the European concept stores.

They were the first in Russia to introduce:

* in-store production: salt rooms, oil mills, smokehouses, bakery
* refrigeration facilities in the basements — almost a revolution at that time
* a special lighting system that highlights the windows and products
* thoughtful logistics in the building, so that customers are not confronted with the chaos of the stockroom

For that time, it was exquisite, almost futuristic.

But technical details are only half the story. The Jelissejew store was always a theatre. The windows transformed into small performances: moving figures, complex compositions, lighting. Even today, it amazes how much imagination could be put into an ordinary grocery store.

🎭 And one more detail that guests love

The Jelissejew store is often referred to as "the most Petersburg store": strict architecture on the outside, inner splendor, enormous attention to detail, a mix of European influences and Russian generosity.

It recalls an era when trade was not just a business, but an art.

🎭 A building that still tells a story

Today, the Jelissejew store is not only an architectural jewel of Art Nouveau but also a symbol of an era when trade could be beautiful, generous, and almost festive. This place reminds us of a time when cities grew, tastes changed, and entrepreneurial spirit became a whole art form.
Upon entering, one can easily imagine how life once pulsed here: bakers fetching fresh bread, craftsmen making butter, the decorations in the windows changing, and visitors stopping in front of the windows just to admire this little spectacle.

📍 Coordinates of the place (map point) available here

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