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How to Escape From the Russian Army

Facing grim job prospects, a young Nepali signed up to join Russia’s military, which sent him to fight in Ukraine. His ordeal of combat, injury and escape turned into a tale worthy of Hollywood.

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By Bhadra Sharma and Jeffrey Gettleman

Bhadra Sharma reported from Kathmandu, Nepal, and Jeffrey Gettleman from London.

He didn’t have any documents.

Or even a phone.

He was wrapped in bandages and 2,500 miles from his village in the Himalayas.

But as he lay in a Russian military hospital, wounded in battle and surrounded by people speaking an alien language, Krishna Bahadur Shahi, an out-of-work engineer from Nepal who had committed the mistake of joining Moscow’s army, made a vow.

Somehow, he told himself, I’m getting home.

“I had to get out,” he said in a recent interview. “I was even thinking of killing myself. I knew if I didn’t leave that hospital, they would send me back to the front and if they did that, well, there would be no possibility of returning alive.”

Mr. Shahi had become ensnared in the shadowy, predatory underworld of human traffickers from Nepal who supply foreign fighters to the Russian army for its war in Ukraine. The Nepali government has been trying to shut down this pipeline. But the Russian military continues to rely on it, boosting combat power with impoverished young foreigners even though many, like Mr. Shahi, said they didn’t know they would be going into battle.

More and more are trying to get out. Mr. Shahi actually tried to escape twice. The first time he was ratted out by his own smugglers.

“Get me a cellphone. I pay you later.”

Mr. Shahi is a thoughtful, talkative, fit 24-year-old civil engineer from a village in the Dailekh area of western Nepal. A university graduate, he faced grim job prospects after finishing a short-term contract building water tanks last year. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Asia, and his parents, who are millet farmers, have little money.

He joined the Russian army for one reason, he said: “For the money.” The New York Times corroborated Mr. Shahi’s story through medical records, photographs, text messages and official government documents.

Former Nepali soldiers in his village introduced him to human traffickers, he said, who quickly arranged for him to fly to Moscow. The deal looked solid. He’d pay the traffickers $5,600. In Russia he’d make $2,200 a month as a contract soldier, working as a guard at a base, he was told, not on the front line. Soon, he would get Russian citizenship as a reward for his service.

As he prepared to leave for Russia, Mr. Shahi was stepping into a well-established web of middlemen and human traffickers that carries thousands of Nepalis each year to wealthier countries to work as maids, prostitutes, guards, nannies, cooks and soldiers.

“It’s a massive network,” said Kritu Bhandari, an anti-trafficking activist in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. She recently started a group called the Campaign to Save the Lives of Nepali Citizens in the Russian Army.

She said the traffickers falsify education certificates to obtain visas; mislead recruits about what they will actually be doing; and run a wide syndicate of agents and accomplices that stretches from rural mountain villages to foreign capitals and the corridors of their own government.

“The smugglers even have people at immigration in the Kathmandu airport,” she said.

The Russian government has not revealed much information about foreigners fighting for its army but news reports and interviews indicate that Nepal is one of the leading sources. Last year, Nepali police arrested a dozen people in connection with the illicit trafficking of youths to Russia, but the vast majority are never caught.

Mr. Shahi arrived at a Russian army base a few hours’ drive east of Moscow in late October, he said. He provided photos of himself dressed in crisp camouflage and a hat with earflaps. In one picture, he’s holding a snowball.

The base was used for several hundred Nepali and a few Chinese recruits, he said. His first impressions, formed from the uniforms, the weapons, the training and the transport, was that the Russian army was centralized and organized. That impression would soon change.

After two weeks of basic training — he had been promised three months, he said — he was told that he was going to a frontline position near Donetsk, a Ukrainian city occupied by Russian troops.

Terrified and feeling betrayed, he tried to protest, saying that he wasn’t ready, and that he’d rather sit in jail. But that wasn’t an option.

“Even inmates there are taken to the front line,” he said. “I had to go.”

His frontline unit was a mix of Russian convicts and his fellow Nepalis. The “inmates,” as he called them, were heavy drinkers, coarse, unpredictable and covered in tattoos.

“They were not lovely,” he said sardonically.

They constantly abused the Nepalis, he said, slapping them in the helmet, jabbing them with gunbutts and screaming at them in Russian. Mr. Shahi said he learned only a few words, including right and left, but sometimes, during the chaos of combat, he got those confused.

After an artillery barrage in December wiped out three of his friends, he decided to make a break for it. His wife, Alisha, back in Kathmandu, spoke to a Nepali living in Moscow who connected Mr. Shahi to traffickers working inside Russia. They put together a plan: He’d pay 4,000 euros, in installments, and the traffickers would arrange for a car to take him from Donetsk to Mariupol, and then to Moscow.

The traffickers make a cut either way — getting people in and getting them out.

Mr. Shahi and a small group of other Nepali deserters left their positions, linked up with a couple of taxis and made it to a half-destroyed apartment in Mariupol, perhaps the most ruined city in Ukraine and under Russian occupation. “The whole place looked doomed,” he said.

They slept on the floor.

But the traffickers, he said, didn’t have a good exit plan. Two of their group tried slipping across the border into Russia and were arrested at a checkpoint. When Mr. Shahi and the others hesitated to pay the next installment, “the dispute got nasty,” he said.

A few days later, at 4 a.m., a squad of police officers showed up and arrested everybody. The traffickers, Mr. Shahi said, had shared the location of their hide-out and betrayed them.

They were arrested and beaten, he said. Mr. Shahi begged for mercy, saying they were just Nepali students trying to get to Europe. But while they were waiting in a Mariupol jail, the police received an electronic bulletin from the Russian army that they were looking for some Nepali deserters. The game was up.

Russian soldiers hauled them back to a frontline position in Donetsk, this time a bunker filled with snow. He said they had almost no food or water. They ate ice. And cans of stringy, frozen beef, which was against Mr. Shahi’s Hindu religion.

“But what was I supposed to do?” he said.

Mr. Shahi and the half dozen Nepalis with him had no freedom to leave, retreat or do anything but stay in that bunker and fight.

“I was a slave,” he said.

A few days later, Mr. Shahi said, the Russian commanders took them out and ordered them to storm a heavily fortified Ukrainian trench line. The Ukrainians saw them coming and lit up the forest with gunfire. Mr. Shahi was shot six times in his left arm and right leg.

Disoriented, faint and losing lots of blood, he crawled to a first aid station.

“I thought that was it,” he said.

In a haze of pain, he met some other Nepali soldiers and gave them his A.T.M. card and his mobile phone and told them to call his family back home and tell them he was no more.

But the Russians provided decent medical care, he said, and he was flown in an emergency chopper to a hospital in Rostov-on-Don, a Russian city near the Ukrainian border. Surgeons removed the bullets and patched up his wounds. Yet he fell into a depression so deep he contemplated suicide.

“I knew that as soon as I got better, they’d send me back,” he said. “And I couldn’t face that.”

Desperate to talk to his wife, he signaled to a tall, skinny orderly who was cleaning his room that he wanted to use his phone. The Russian man quickly understood and when Mr. Shahi said, “Nepali, Nepali,” the cleaner opened a translation app on his phone.

“Get me a cellphone. I pay you later,” was Mr. Shahi’s message.

The Russian man smiled.

The same day, a new phone appeared.

Google Translate

At any given moment, Nepali soldiers are trying to escape the Russian army. We spoke to 11 who succeeded.

Khakendra Khatri, an agricultural student from Rolpa, in central Nepal, said that in October he flew to Moscow with a planeload of 50 other Nepali recruits. At first, he said, they were all pumped up.

But during training, the recruits began sharing gory videos from the front line in Ukraine.

“That changed my mind,” Mr. Khatri said.

He said he bribed his Russian commander 17,000 rubles (about $200) to sneak out of his base, on the outskirts of Moscow, with two other Nepali soldiers. The three soon got lost in a forest.

They began to panic. In Russia, deserters are punished by military courts and can spend years in prison. But then they saw a taxi coming down a road and waved it down. Mr. Khatri said he frantically tapped open Google Translate on his phone and used it to tell the driver they were lost tourists and needed to get to Moscow. The driver took them all the way — 15 hours — and at the end, refused to take a single ruble.

Mr. Khatri worked with middlemen to get a flight to Kathmandu. Now back home in Rolpa, he said: “Some Russians are quite helpful. I could have died if that driver hadn’t helped us.”

Mr. Shahi had similar kind words for the Russian orderly. With the new phone, he spoke to his wife. She borrowed heavily from relatives — $8,000 this time — to pay another group of traffickers who said they could get her husband out.

On the morning of Jan. 23, Mr. Shahi gingerly stepped out of the Rostov hospital. He hobbled to a nearby market where a taxi was waiting for him. The driver communicated through a translation app, telling Mr. Shahi: Don’t talk. I’ll do the talking. If we get stopped, I’ll tell them you’re sick and headed to the hospital.

They drove all day to the one place that could help with the final stage of the escape: The Embassy of Nepal, in Moscow.

“Are you a soldier?”

For months, the families of missing Nepali soldiers have held protests and hunger strikes in front of the Russian embassy in Kathmandu. The Nepali government says at least 32 Nepali men have died fighting for Russia; the families of the missing believe there are many more.

In March, Nepal officially requested that Russia repatriate all Nepalis who had joined the Russian army, compensate any injured Nepali soldiers and send home any remains.

“They listened to our argument carefully,” said Amrit Bahadur Rai, a spokesman for Nepal’s foreign affairs ministry.

But Russia has yet to do anything, he said.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to emails asking for comment. Early on in the war, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia welcomed foreign fighters in his army saying they were coming on “a voluntary basis, especially not for money” and that it was important to “help them move to the war zone.”

Nepal’s embassy in Moscow has been trying to help fugitive soldiers move out of the war zone. Many of them, Mr. Rai said, had been tricked by traffickers and were “desperate” to get out of combat.

Prakash Mani Paudel, director general of Nepal’s Department of Consular Services, said the embassy has helped 110 Nepalis escape, including Mr. Shahi, who had lost his passport in Donetsk and needed a temporary travel document, which the embassy quickly furnished.

The last step in Mr. Shahi’s odyssey was Moscow’s Domodedovo airport.

Dressed in black jeans and a black puffy jacket, Mr. Shahi limped into the terminal building around 8 p.m. on Jan. 24. There he met an older Indian gentleman wearing a sports jacket and slacks, who had been hired as part of the $8,000 trafficking package, Mr. Shahi said. He helped with the check-in for the flight to Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, the first leg of the trip back to Kathmandu.

But Mr. Shahi stood out. He had shrapnel scars on his cheek. His left arm and right leg were covered in bandages. He could barely walk. And he was stocky and of military age.

At the immigration desk, four tall Russian border police agents surrounded him. The Indian gentlemen disappeared. The police took Mr. Shahi into another room and ordered him to strip to his underwear.

“What battalion are you in?”

“Your hand’s injured. There are better hospitals in Russia. Why are you returning to Nepal?”

Mr. Shahi said his body began to tremble. “I was thinking I wasn’t going to make it.”

The Russians were using a phone and translation app and Mr. Shahi pretended that he didn’t understand.

With 15 minutes before takeoff, they let him go.

“I think they realized I was no use to them anymore,” he said.

He lurched down the jetway, he said, the stress of the moment making his wounds ache even more. He took his seat, a window.

The plane began to hurtle down the runway. The roar of the engines filled his ears. A flood of emotion washed through him.

His right leg throbbed. He couldn’t use his left hand. He had put his family thousands of dollars in debt and had no job. But, for the first time since he left home, he felt safe.

“I saved my own life,” he said.

As the plane lifted off the runway, tears began to roll down his cheeks.

“People were looking at me,” he said. “But I didn’t care.”

Anatoly Kurmanaev contributed reporting from Berlin.

Jeffrey Gettleman is an international correspondent based in London covering global events. He has worked for The Times for more than 20 years. More about Jeffrey Gettleman

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What to Wear in Moscow in Winter: Surviving Freezing Temps

Europe Packing List , Travel Packing Lists

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Wondering what to wear in Moscow in winter? Follow these tips on clothing, shoes, and accessories to learn how to survive a cold Russian winter!

What to Wear in Moscow in Winter

Written By: Julia K

Going to Moscow for the holidays? You’re in luck! 

Why? Because there are no lines to the major tourist spots, there are fewer people in general, and you get the best prices. You can also get bragging rights that you have visited Moscow, Russia during its famous winter.

Winter in Russia lasts about five months. It gets snowy and cold going into negative Celsius at the end of October beginning November. Spring begins in mid-March and lasts till mid-May. Summers are hot and sometimes humid.

Always check the weather forecast before your trip. Once you’ve researched the weather, you can focus on creating your winter  travel capsule wardrobe , which should fit in your suitcase with the help of packing cubes to compress your clothing.

The first thing to know as you plan what to wear in Moscow in winter is how to pack for the weather.

Read these guides to get started, then read the specific details below for outfit ideas for various activities in Moscow:

• How to Pack for Cold Weather
• How to Stay Warm in Cold Weather (without the bulk)
• Extreme Cold Weather Clothing Strategies
• The Secret to Packing Light in Winter

Local women look their best anywhere and everywhere they go. Do pack nicer items and bring your makeup, too .  The following suggestions are based on a two week itinerary and contain three to four looks for the following activities:

• museums, walking around,
• going to a theater or ballet,
• going out to a restaurant and club, or
• getting invited to a random dinner at someone’s apartment, because it can happen!

Traveling to other parts of the country? Read this guide on what to wear in Russia !

Tight  |  Boots  |  Down Coat  | Thermal Top  | Shawls

Walking around the downtown area

Going to Moscow is a very unique experience. Walking around Red Square , New and Old Arbat, and visiting the ice skating rink in VDNH or Gorky Park will require warm attire.

Bring a long, warm winter coat that goes to your knees and has an attached hood. Choose a down jacket like these for optimal warmth.  Russian women love fur coats–not just as a fashion statement but due to their functionality in the cold.

Add warm winter accessories such as a big, warm blanket scarf that you can also use as a hood. Don’t forget a warm hat, thermal underwear , and mittens (not gloves).

Find out why thermal underwear for women is absolutely essential for cold weather travel!

As you plan what to wear in Moscow in winter be prepared for icy conditions; bring comfortable shoes with a thick sole that are appropriate for the snow and slush. Here are a few warm waterproof leather boots  suggested by our readers. Don’t forget to wear them with warm wool socks !

General tip: wearing layers will give you more freedom in the outside-inside situation. It gets very warm in the subway underground and inside some buildings, compared to the cold outdoors. 

It’s important to note that during winter, the temperature varies from -2°C/28°F to -28°C/-18°F, which is exceptionally cold! The average is around -15°C / 5°F.

Kate Spade Knot Earrings | Kate Spade Square Studs

The one easy way to tell a tourist from a local is if they’re wearing heels and makeup. Generally speaking,  Moscow ladies take fashion, makeup, hair, and style very seriously. Bring your best attire and a splash of bling for a bit of glam.

A simple set of stud earrings can easily elevate an outfit from drab to chic. From outdoor adventures to city breaks, wear a set like  this for any trip!

Jeans | Boots | Poncho  | Sweater  | Crossbody

Going to a museum

When planning what to wear In Moscow in winter (or anytime), keep in mind that sloppy attire is frowned upon. While looking your best when traveling is always a given, you might be refused service or be simply ignored in certain places. People may treat you differently depending on how you dress. 

To a museum, wear dark denim, boots or booties, a  crossbody purse , jacket, and a shirt. Don’t forget to do your makeup and hair.

Many places may require you to check your coat so you should still have the appropriate layers to wear inside without feeling uncomfortably warm or cold. Checking your coat also allows you to stay warm when you’re outdoors but move freely indoors.

Learn how to layer clothes !

Places to visit are Diamond Fund , Red Square, the  Gum department store (pronounced like goom), and  Armoury Chamber , Tsentral’ny Dom Khudozhnika ,  Pushkin Museum and Tretyakov Gallery .

Black Dress |  Drop Earrings  | Dress Pump

To a theater or ballet

Winter is the time to visit the world famous Bolshoi Theater. If you’re lucky enough to get tickets, then The Nutcracker is the one to see! I would advise getting there one hour early, order some champagne and sandwiches, and check out the crowd. There are plenty of other theaters that are not as famous but equally as good.

Floor length gowns aren’t necessary or practical, so bring a cocktail dress, shoes, evening clutch, jewelry, and do your makeup and hair. Tip: gorgeous jewelry can dress up a versatile LBD.

Do not wear denim to an opera or ballet!

Jeans | Boots |  Dress  |  Crossbody Bag

If you are a guest in someone’s house

Russians do like to invite people into their homes. Dress modestly but with great attention to detail as a well dressed appearance is always appreciated. You can wear dark denim jeans, a sweater, jewelry, a nice bag, and boots.

Please remember to always take off your shoes when in someone’s house. It is considered rude to walk in street shoes at home. So pack your party socks or tights!

Top  |  Pants |   Earrings |  Dress Pump

Moscow is a hub of amazing places to eat. One thing’s for sure–you’ll never be hungry. It caters to all budgets and styles. If you’re eating on a budget, then your daytime attire will suit you perfectly.

If you plan to dine at nice restaurants or visit clubs, wear a  cocktail dress, black tights, heels, and a clutch. Alternatively, wear leather pants with a flattering long sleeve blouse and jewelry. 

General tip : If you plan on dining out, do make a reservation on Fridays and weekends. Otherwise there are plenty of places to choose from. Local favorites include Chaihana , Valenok , Ludi Kak Ludi and any cafe in Kitai Gorod.

Moscow is a non-stop hub of an always-moving machine. You should definitely go and enjoy yourself even during winter! A post on what to wear in Moscow during summer is coming up soon. Stay tuned!

What are your tips on what to wear in Moscow in winter? Share in the comments!

Please note: Most of Europe’s budget airlines have this carryon bag allowance: 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. Always check your airline’s baggage rules in advance.

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For more tips, please read these Europe packing lists:

Suggested travel resources:

• Lonely Planet Russia (Country Guide)
• Travel Shoes for Europe
• The Best Carry-on Suitcases for Europe

Please read our Ultimate Packing List for Europe featuring stylish outfits and travel tips for 9 countries.

I hope you liked this post on what to wear in Moscow in winter. Please share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Thanks for reading!

Author Bio: Julia K is a travel blogger who believes in utilizing every item in her luggage 101%. When at home, she likes to explore what’s new in the world of travel fashion, food, and travel gadgets. Follow her on Instagram ,  Facebook , Twitter and her blog .

11 Comments

Hello! I am Gong yo travel yo Moscow soon but I dont wear pants too much just once in a week , so could you tell me what dresses can I wear or skirts and how can I be warm and if boots or booties can combined with dresses. Another question is How can I walk with highheels in winter if there is snow?

Hi Avril, thank you for reaching out. Have a look at this article for ideas for how you can layer and accessorize your dresses strategically to keep you warm: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/versatile-dresses-one-dress-many-ways/ You might also find this article interesting about how to style your outfits with ankle boots: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/how-to-wear-ankle-boots/ If you have any more questions about packing for Moscow, I would recommend that you join TFG’s free facebook community and post them there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelfashiongirls/ It is a fabulous group of helpful female travelers that have the best advice and suggestions to share. Hope this helps answer your question. Have an amazing time! ?

Traveling to Moscow end of March and first of April. Do women wear fur coats at this time of year? If yes, does the colorof the fur matter. Would it be lighter coats–snow leopard, silver saga fox or is a dark coat of fake cur acceptable? Or would a puffer coat be advisable with a beanie with fox fur pompom? Or would a wool full length cap be appropriate? Thanks

Hi Leslie, fur coats are a common fashion style, because they keep you toasty and warm, and look fantastic. It would depend on the temperatures, I would recommend that you check the weather forecast closer to your departure dates to ensue you have packed the most appropriate clothing for the weather. Our readers are the best at answering questions like yours, so to get you as much feedback as possible, I have gone ahead and scheduled your question to appear on TFG’s facebook page. Please keep you eyes out for our readers replies from Wednesday: https://www.facebook.com/TravelFashionGirl/ Hope this helps. Have an incredible trip!! 🙂

Hi Leslie, here is the response from facebook for your question: https://www.facebook.com/TravelFashionGirl/posts/2250868851603437 Hope this helps!

I’m a girl who has only lived in warm weather. I have never experienced winter like in moscow. I have dumb questions about shoes and attire. If going to the ballet with heels, do you bring your boots to walk outside and inside?

Also, can you wear winter snow boots inside a university for a long time? I bought the sorels Joan of arctic and winter carnivals. Will they be too hot for inside? Do I need to bring extra pair of shoes?

Hi Ninotchka, thank you for your question. Let me look into this for you! 🙂

Would love to see a packing list for a river cruise to Russia in the spring!!

Will keep it in mind for a future post!

Thanks so much for this article! It is so hard to find advice for winter/snowy travel. It is still about layering! Leggings under my skinny jeans. I wear my winter boots (Sorel with fur trim) on the plane, and my marmot long “down defender” water resistant coat Squishes down in the packing cubes.

Thanks for sharing Alanna! Glad you found this article helpful!

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5 one-day road trip ideas outside of Moscow

1. Abramtsevo Estate and Sergiev Posad

Abramtsevo mansion

The Abramtsevo Estate (60 km from Moscow) is a must-see for anyone interested in Russian art. Thanks to industrialist Savva Mamontov, an artistic circle of the finest painters and architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries gathered and coalesced here. Views of the estate are depicted in the paintings of many artists and they are familiar to every Russian since childhood. For the painting, "The Girl with Peaches" , the daughter of the estate owner posed for Valentin Serov in the dining room. Vasily Polenov painted the Abramtsevo pond many times, and Viktor Vasnetsov even depicted the Abramtsevo landscape for "Bogatyrs". The same artists also took part in the decoration of the estate’s Art Nouveau church. 

The Assumption Cathedral in Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius

After driving half an hour from Abramtsevo, you’ll reach Sergiev Posad, the most 'Orthodox' town in Russia. Here, you can visit many museums, walk along the old streets, and have a Russian meal in one of the restaurants. Of course, the main site to see is the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. Take a tour or explore the monastery churches and museums on your own. (Note: on major religious holidays, the Lavra is very crowded). Read more about what to see in Sergiev Posad here .

2. Kolomna and Konstantinovo village

Kolomna kremlin aerial view

The charming merchant town of Kolomna is about 100 kilometers from Moscow. The massive walls of the medieval kremlin have been preserved, as well as the ancient cathedrals and monasteries. Walking around Kolomna, you should definitely sample the traditional Russian street food - kalach - prepared according to ancient recipes; (read here why in the olden days it wasn’t customary to eat the "handle" of kalach). Another gastronomic trademark of Kolomna is apple 'pastila' , also made according to ancient recipes. Visit the Kolomna Pastila Museum, taste several kinds and buy them for all your friends - it's the best souvenir to take home!

Watch our video about a day trip to Kolomna here .

Another 30 minutes drive from Kolomna is the village of Konstantinovo, birthplace of the poet Sergei Yesenin . When you admire the views that open from the window of his village house, you’ll understand why he became a poet! The church with its golden domes, the turn of the Oka River and the endless Russian countryside scenery with golden rye fields and green patches of forests.

Konstantinovo, the birthplace of poet Sergey Yesenin

The beauty is breathtaking! The local museum tells about the mystery of the poet's death, and tries to answer the main question – whether he took his own life, or if someone "helped" him.

3. Serpukhov and Polenovo Estate

Ancient churches of Serpukhov

There is another ancient town about 30-minutes drive from Moscow, where another ancient kremlin fortress once stood. Today, only fragments of its walls remain, as well as the Sobornaya Hill on which Trinity Cathedral, built in the 16th century (and rebuilt in the 19th century in the neo-Classicist style), stands preserved. In recent years, the downtown of Serpukhov has been restored and transformed, complete with a modern urban space, pedestrian zones and cozy restaurants for all tastes. 

Vasily Polenov's studio in Polenovo estate

About 40 minutes from Serpukhov is another picturesque country estate - Polenovo, named after its owner, artist Vasily Polenov. The house was built in the late 19th century by his own design, and every detail bears the imprint of the artist’s hand - tiles, mosaics, stained glass and even furniture. The house was often visited by famous artists and writers, and there was even a home theater.

Check out more pics from Polenovo estate here .

By the way, the house in Polenovo offers a magnificent view of the Oka River. You can reach the estate another way - by boat from the town of Tarusa (a single ticket includes the cost of the round-trip, as well as a house tour). At the same time, you can walk around Tarusa and learn how it’s connected with the writers Marina Tsvetaeva and Konstantin Paustovsky. 

4. Mozhaysk and Borodino Field

The field where the Battle of Borodino took place in 1812

The great Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov once wrote in 1837 that all Russians remember the days of the Borodino Battle. Actually the battle that happened during the War of 1812 with Napoleonic France is still "remembered" by all of Russia today, as well as Lermontov's poem. So you are welcome to drive 100 km, which takes about 30 minutes along the high-speed Minsk Highway, and find yourself on the very field where this decisive battle took place. Once a year in early September, Borodino hosts a large-scale and spectacular reconstruction of the battle. Many people attend and so parking may be a problem, but it's worth it. You can also visit on an ordinary day, see the museum and stand where Kutuzov used to view his troops and the course of the battle. 

Luzhetsky Monastery in Mozhaysk

On the way back, don't hesitate to stop in Mozhaysk, which was founded in the 13th century! This town with a beautiful hilly landscape also once had a kremlin, but now the gates and the Gothic St. Nicholas Cathedral are the only remnants of its former grandeur. Another must-see in Mozhaisk is the Luzhetsky Monastery on the banks of the Moskva River. What a gorgeous view here!

Zakharovo estate of Alexander Pushkin's grandmother

If you have time and energy, on the way back take the old Mozhaisk Highway and visit the Zakharovo Estate where the young poet Alexander Pushkin stayed with his grandmother, and the palace of Princes Golitsyn in Bolshiye Vyazemy, where they say that Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov spent the night, only to be followed the next day by Napoleon himself.

5. New Jerusalem

New Jerusalem Resurrection Monastery

A trip by car to Jerusalem from Moscow is quite possible! This is a miniature version of the holy city in the Moscow Region, just 50 km from the capital, in the town of Istra. The main tourist attraction is of course the New Jerusalem Resurrection Monastery built in the 17th century by Patriarch Nikon. The hill on which the monastery stands was renamed Zion, and the Istra River - Jordan. The main cathedral was built in the image and likeness of the temple of the Holy Sepulcher.

New Jerusalem museum of history and art

After visiting the monastery, be sure to visit the History and Art Museum on the other side of the river - it has a collection of Russian church and secular art, as well as large-scale exhibitions of famous artists.

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