Tag Archives: Soviet Union

Ivan the Terrible with his Oprichniki, overseeing his treasury. The Oprichniki were the tsar's dogs responsible for sniffing out treason. There were the forerunners for Imperial Russia's history of political police which carried on into Soviet times.

Colliding cultures in Kazan

They say first impressions are important and my first view of Kazan was beautiful. Rising slowly from the haze of the Volga River, the Kremlin, cupolas of the Orthodox churches and the minarets of the mosques, shimmering in the afternoon heat was like a twisted fantasy from the 1001 Nights. This impression was enhanced by the greeting I was given…

Stalin’s secret bunker

Once a top-secret Soviet facility, Stalin’s secret bunker is now open to the public. Peter Campbell from Intrepid Adventure writes the first full account of the bunker to be published in English on the internet. Thirty-five metres underground the air feels denser, cold and clammy. Welcome to Josef Stalin’s secret bunker. The bunker, located in the centre of Samara (known…