Russia

862 (July 8, Saturday): Traditional founding of the Kievan Rus, the early state in Eastern Europe

1547 (January 16, Monday): Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the Terrible, crowned the first Tsar of Russia

1613 (August 1, Monday): Michael Romanov becomes the first Tsar of the Romanov dynasty

1703 (May 27, Sunday): Founding of Saint Petersburg by Tsar Peter the Great

1812 (June 24, Monday): Napoleon’s invasion of Russia begins with the Battle of Borodino

1917 (March 8, Thursday): February Revolution begins, leading to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II

1917 (October 25, Thursday): October Revolution, leading to Bolshevik control under Lenin

1941 (June 22, Sunday): Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa)

1991 (August 19, Monday): Dissolution of the Soviet Union officially begins with a failed coup attempt

2002 (October 23, Wednesday): Moscow theater hostage crisis, where Chechen militants took over a theater

2004 (September 1, Wednesday): Beslan school hostage crisis, leading to over 300 deaths

2010 (July 15, Thursday): Heatwave causes wildfires in European Russia, affecting Moscow and other regions

2013 (May 29, Wednesday): Deadly flooding in southern Russia, particularly in Krasnodar region

2020 (April 2, Thursday): COVID-19 Pandemic: Russia enforces lockdown measures to control the virus spread

2022 (February 24, Thursday): Russia invades Ukraine, leading to ongoing international conflict and sanctions

2023 (June 24, Saturday): Wagner Group rebellion, with military tensions and political instability in Russia

2024 (April 3, Wednesday): Severe flooding caused by melting snow and heavy rains in the Volga region

Continent: Asia, Europe
Location: Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, extending from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east
Capital: Moscow
Language: Russian (official)
Currency: Russian ruble (RUB)
Population: ~145.9 million (last updated: April 2025)
Time Zone: Moscow Standard Time (MSK) / various time zones across the country

Borders: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland (Kaliningrad), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, North Korea
Landscape: Vast plains, mountain ranges, forests, tundra, and coastlines along the Arctic and Pacific Oceans
Major Rivers: Volga, Lena, Yenisei, Ob, Amur, Don
Major Mountains: Ural Mountains, Caucasus Mountains, Altai Mountains, Kamchatka Mountains
Deserts: Caspian Desert
Lakes: Lake Baikal (world’s deepest), Lake Ladoga, Lake Onega
Volcanoes: Mount Klyuchevskaya Sopka (Kamchatka), Mount Shiveluch, Mount Etna (Pacific Ring of Fire)
Highest Point: Mount Elbrus (5,642 m / 18,510 ft)
Lowest Point: Caspian Sea (−28 m / −92 ft)
Climate: Subarctic, continental, and temperate zones, with cold winters and mild summers
Geological Features: Ural Mountains (geological divide between Europe and Asia), vast Siberian plain, Kamchatka Peninsula (active volcanic region)

Ethnic Groups: Ethnically diverse, with Russians being the majority (approximately 80%), followed by Tatars, Ukrainians, Bashkirs, Chuvash, Chechens, and others
Religion: Russian Orthodox Christianity (approximately 70%), Islam (approximately 10%), other Christian denominations, Buddhism, and various other religions
Urban Population: ~74% (last updated: 2023)
Aging Population: ~15% aged 65+ (last updated: 2024)

Famous For: Russian literature, ballet, classical music, space exploration, vodka, and art
Cuisine: Borscht, pelmeni, blini, caviar, vodka
Arts: Literature (Tolstoy, Dostoevsky), ballet (Mariinsky Theatre), classical music (Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky)
Sports: Ice hockey, football (soccer), basketball, tennis, figure skating

Economy Type: Mixed, transitioning from planned to market economy, with heavy state involvement in key sectors
GDP: Approx. $1.7 trillion USD (last updated: 2024)
Major Industries: Oil, natural gas, minerals, heavy industry, aerospace, defense, agriculture
Key Exports: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, machinery, weapons, grain, metals
Unemployment Rate: ~4.5% (last updated: 2024)
Economic Regions: Resource-rich Siberia, industrialized European Russia, agricultural southern Russia, and oil/gas-rich Volga region

Government Type: Federal semi-presidential republic
Head of State: President Vladimir Putin (as of April 2025)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (as of April 2025)
Legislature: Bicameral (State Duma and Federation Council)
Constitution: In effect since 1993

Moscow: Red Square, Kremlin, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Bolshoi Theatre
Saint Petersburg: Hermitage Museum, Peterhof Palace, Nevsky Prospect
Lake Baikal: UNESCO World Heritage site, deepest lake in the world
Kazan: Kremlin, Tatar culture
Siberia: Vast wilderness, natural parks, Trans-Siberian Railway
Sochi: Black Sea coast, winter sports (hosted 2014 Winter Olympics)