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What to do in Moscow

Ballet at the bolshoy, cathedral of christ the saviour, drinking & nightlife, entertainment, house-museums, the museum of modern history, the new tretyakov gallery, novodevichiy convent, patriarch’s ponds, the pushkin museum of fine arts, sandunovsky baths, the tretyakov gallery.

Travel in Moscow is easier than you might think: the city’s general layout is a series of concentric circles and radial lines emanating from Red Square and the Kremlin, and the centre is compact enough to explore on foot. Moscow’s sights can also be mapped as strata of its history: the old Muscovy that Russians are eager to show; the now retro-chic Soviet-era sites such as VDNK and Lenin’s Mausoleum; and the exclusive restaurants and shopping malls that mark out the new Russia. A CityPass is a good bet if you plan on seeing several of the city's heavyweight attractions.

Despite its size, Moscow's concentric layout is easier to grasp than you'd imagine, and the city's famous metro ensures that almost everywhere of interest is within fifteen minutes' walk of a station. Red Square and the Kremlin are the historic nucleus of the city, a magnificent stage for political drama, signifying a great sweep of history that includes Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Stalin and Gorbachev. Here you'll find Lenin's Mausoleum and St Basil's Cathedral, the famous GUM department store, and the Kremlin itself, whose splendid cathedrals and Armoury Museum head the list of attractions. Immediately east of Red Square lies the Kitay-gorod, traditionally the commercial district, and originally fortified like the Kremlin. Stretches of the ramparts remain behind the Metropol and Rossiya hotels, and the medieval churches of Zaryade and the shops along Nikolskaya ulitsa may tempt you further into the quarter, where you'll find the former headquarters of the Communist Party. Take a private Kremlin tour to skip the lines for the Kremlin grounds and cathedrals.

The Kremlin and Kitay-gorod are surrounded by two quarters defined by rings of boulevards built over the original ramparts of medieval times, when Moscow's residential areas were divided into the "White Town" or Beliy Gorod, and the humbler "Earth Town" or Zemlyanoy Gorod. Situated within the leafy Boulevard Ring that encloses the Beliy Gorod are such landmarks as the Bolshoy Theatre and the Lubyanka headquarters of the secret police – with its "KGB Museum" – while the Zemlyanoy Gorod that extends to the eight-lane Garden Ring is enlivened by the trendy old and new Arbat streets, with three Stalin skyscrapers dominating the Ring itself.

Beyond this historic core Moscow is too sprawling to explore on foot. Krasnaya Presnya, Fili and the southwest describes a swathe which includes the former Russian Parliament building (known as the White House); Tolstoy's house and the Novodeviche Convent and Cemetery; Victory Park, with its war memorials and Jewish museum; and Moscow State University in the Sparrow Hills – the largest of the Stalin skyscrapers.

Across the river from the Kremlin, Zamoskvorechye and the south are the site of the old and new Tretyakov Gallery's superlative collection of Russian art. Private guided tours are recommended for art enthusiasts. Here too you'll find Gorky Park, the Donskoy and Danilov monasteries that once stood guard against the Tartars, and the romantic ex-royal estates of Tsaritsyno and Kolomenskoe – the latter known for staging folklore festivals and historical pageants.

Taganka and Zayauze, east of the centre, likewise harbour fortified monasteries – the Andronikov, Novospasskiy and Simonov – and the erstwhile noble estates of Kuskovo and Kuzminki, but the main lure for tourists is the Izmaylovo art market. Inside the Izmaylovo Kremlin, a cultural centre, there are also a range of attractions, from the Bread Museum and the Vodka History Museum to the fascinating Museum of Russian Toys.

Moscow's Northern Suburbs cover a vast area with a sprinkling of sights. Foremost is the Memorial and Museum of Cosmonautics and VDNK. For anyone interested in the glory days of the space race, and its monumental landmarks and propaganda, a visit is a must, like on this guided tour . In the vicinity are the Ostankino Palace, Moscow's Botanical Gardens and TV Tower. West from here, the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines will appeal to visitors with an interest in Soviet social history, too.

Outside Moscow there's scope for day-excursions to the Trinity Monastery of St Sergei, the Abramtsevo artists' colony, Tchaikovsky's house in Kiln, Lenin's estate at Gorki Leninskie, and the battlefield of Borodino, where the battle is re-enacted every September. You can also head out to the village of Aksakovo for a beautiful two-hour troika ride. Further afield, the historic towns of Vladimir and Suzdal are graced by splendid cathedrals and monasteries attesting that they were the seat of a principality when Moscow was merely an encampment. Suzdal is one of the loveliest towns in Russia, and definitely merits an overnight stay. It's also possible to visit the Aviation Museum at Monino air base, en route to Vladimir, if you take the trouble to get permission ahead of time.

This article includes affiliate links; all recommendations are editorially independent.

Top image: Komsomolskaya metro station © Gubin Yury/Shutterstock

While Moscow's Bolshoy Ballet (also spelt "Bolshoi") is going through uncertain times, plagued by infighting and rivalries (not least the recent acid attack on Artistic Director Sergei Filin), few would deny themselves the chance to see this legendary company. During the season, evening performances start at 7pm, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at noon; there are no shows on Monday.

You can see what’s on currently and for a few months ahead on the Bolshoy’s website – although the English version sometimes lags behind the Russian one. The ballet company is usually abroad over summer and sometimes also in the autumn, leaving the junior corps de ballet to entertain visitors – although star dancers are certain to be in Moscow for the opening of the new season in September. For more on Russian ballet visit www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com . For those not interested in ballet but more in the historical aspect of the Bolshoy theatre, take a guided historic tour of the grounds.

If you're more interest in Folk Dances, visit the Kostroma Folk Dance show , the most authentic one in Moscow.

Built as a symbol of gratitude to divinity for having aided the Russians’ defeat of Napoleon in 1812, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (daily 10am–6pm), opposite the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts at Volkhonka ul. 15, was demolished in 1931 in favour of a monument to socialism. The project was soon abandoned and years later, under Krushev’s rule, the site was turned into the world’s largest public swimming pool. In 1994 the Cathedral was rebuilt and is now a symbol of Moscow’s (and Russia’s) post-Communist religious revival.

Moscow isn’t a city that goes to bed early. Many venues act as a café by day, restaurant in the early evening, and both bar and club at night. This can cover anything from an arthouse café with a spot of live music to a dance warehouse, or a fancy nightclub with a restaurant and casino. Most cater to a certain crowd, whether it’s creative professionals, students, shell-suited "flatheads" or designer-draped models. While formal dress codes are rare, face control (feys kontrol) is widespread. Russians distinguish between “democratic” face control (aimed at keeping out hooligans and bandits), and the kind that favours the rich (never mind how they behave). It’s unwise to rile club security staff, however rude they might be.

There are scores of trendy bars and clubs on Krasny Oktyabr, a former chocolate factory building located across the river from Kropotkinskaya and now home to some of Moscow’s hippest nightlife.

Learn how to walk, talk, drink and party like a Russian on a small group with Russian spirits.

Moscow's gastronomic scene has improved enormously over the last five years, with hundreds of new cafés and restaurants offering all kinds of cuisine and surroundings, aimed at anyone with a disposable income – from mega-rich New Russians and expense-account expatriates to fashion-conscious wealthy teenagers.

For cheap eats head to a canteen, where you can compile a tray of dishes smorgasbord-style. Take advantage of the great-value business lunches offered by cafés and restaurants during the week between noon and 4pm.

For well over a century, Moscow has been one of the world’s great centres of classical music, opera and ballet, most famously represented by the Bolshoy Theatre but also by its orchestras and choirs. Theatre can be tricky for non-Russian speakers though circus and puppetry surpass the language barrier. Moscow’s film industry and annual international film festival dwarf St Petersburg’s, but at other times most cinemas screen Hollywood blockbusters.

All this can be surprisingly good value, provided you ask for the cheapest ticket available ( samiy deshoviy bilyet ).

Gorky Park on ul. Krymskiy Val 9 (R100; Park Kultury) is a large park occupying an area of over 700 acres along the river. In the winter the frozen-over paths become one of the city’s largest ice rinks, while in the summer Muscovites stroll the area savouring an ice cream.

Admirers of Bulgakov, Chekhov, Gorky and Tolstoy will find their former homes preserved as museums. Anton Chekhov lived at Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya ul. 6, in what is now the Chekhov House-Museum (Tues, Thurs & Sat 11am–6pm, Wed & Fri 2–8pm; R100, student R60; Barrikadnaya), containing humble personal effects, while the Gorky House-Museum (Wed–Sun 11am–6pm, closed last Thurs of the month; free; Arbatskaya) on the corner of Povarskaya ulitsa and ulitsa Spiridonovka is worth seeing purely for its raspberry-pink Art Nouveau decor. Leo Tolstoy admirers should head to the wonderfully preserved Tolstoy Memorial Estate on ul. Lva Tolstogo 21 (Tues, Wed & Fri 10am–6pm, Thurs 1–9pm, Sat & Sun 11am–6pm; R200, student R60; Park Kultury) where the Tolstoy family lived after moving to Moscow from their country estate in 1881, and where the novelist wrote War and Peace . The Bulgakov Museum at Bolshaya Sadovaya ul. 10 (Sun–Thurs 1–11pm, Fri & Sat until 1am; free; t 495/970-0619; Mayakovskaya), is the house where the novelist lived from 1921 to 1924. There are nightly tours (1–6am; R550; phone a week in advance for tour in English).

The Museum of Modern History at Tverskaya ul. 21 (Tues, Wed, Fri 10am–6pm, Thurs & Sat 11am–7pm, Sun 10am–5pm, closed last Fri of the month; R100; Tverskaya) brings the Communist past alive with striking displays of Soviet propaganda posters, photographs and state gifts, although there’s a frustrating lack of English translation.

Opposite the entrance to Gorky Park at Krymskiy Val 10, the New Tretyakov Gallery (Tues–Sun 10am–7.30pm; R360, student R220; Park Kultury) takes a breakneck gallop through twentieth-century Russian art, from the avant-garde of the 1910–1920s to contemporary artists. Full and illuminating commentary in English is a bonus.

A cluster of shining domes above a fortified rampart belongs to the lovely Novodevichiy Convent (daily 10am–5pm; closed Tues & last Mon of month; R150; Sportivnaya), founded by Ivan the Terrible in 1524. At its heart stands the white Cathedral of the Virgin of Smolensk. In its cemetery lie numerous famous writers, musicians and artists, including Gogol, Chekhov, Stanislavsky, Bulgakov and Shostakovich.

One of Moscow’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, Patriarch’s Ponds is a pleasant spot (there’s actually just one pond) for a summer stroll or an ice-skate on its frozen waters in the depths of winter. The area is also known for being the location of the opening scene of Mikhail Bulgakov’s magical realist novel The Master and Margarita .

Founded in 1898 in honour of the famous Russian poet, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts at Volkhonka ul. 12 (Tues–Sun 10am–7pm; R150–300, separate fee for Impressionist wing; Kropotkinskaya) holds a hefty collection of European paintings , from Italian High Renaissance works to Rembrandt, and an outstanding display of Impressionist works.

Get the city grit out of your skin at the exquisitely elaborate Sandunovsky baths (Neglinnaya ul. 14 bldg 3–7 w www.sanduny.ru ; Teatralnaya), patronized by Muscovites since 1896. Join Russian businessmen and socialites in the banya , a wooden hut heated with a furnace, where you are invited to sweat out impurities, get beaten energetically with birch twigs, and finally plunge into ice-cold water. Men’s and women’s baths are separate, with the women’s section more like a modern spa. A three-hour session costs R1000. Daily 8am–10pm.

Founded in 1892 by the financier Pavel Tretyakov, the Tretyakov Gallery at Lavrushinskiy per. 10 (Tues–Sun 10am–7.30pm; R360, student R220; Tretyakovskaya) displays an outstanding collection of pre-Revolutionary Russian art. Russian icons are magnificently displayed, and the exhibition continues through to the late nineteenth century, with the politically charged canvases of the iconic realist Ilya Repin and the Impressionist portraits of Valentin Serov, including The Girl with Peaches , one of the gallery’s masterpieces.

To see Soviet triumphalism at its most prolific, visit the Exhibition of Economic Achievements, or VDNKh (Prospekt Mira; VDNK/Prospekt Mira), with its statue upon statue of ordinary workers in heroic poses. Adding to the scene is the permanent trade-fair-cum-shopping-centre housed in the grandiose Stalinist architecture of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition of 1939, and the People’s Friendship Fountain, flanked by Soviet maidens, each symbolizing a Soviet republic. One of the most hubristic Soviet monuments ever built is the Space Obelisk , which bears witness to Soviet designs on the stratosphere. Unveiled in 1964 – three years after Gagarin orbited the earth – it’s a sculpture of a rocket blasting nearly 100m into the sky on a plume of energy clad in shining titanium. Moscow’s giant Ferris wheel, small amusement park and numerous food vendors help to create a fairground-like atmosphere. For a fantastic view over the VDNK, take the lift to the 25th floor of Hotel Cosmos across Prospekt Mira.

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Strong geomagnetic storm reaches Earth, continues through weekend

NOAA space weather forecasters have observed at least seven coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun, with impacts expected to arrive on Earth as early as midday Friday, May 10, and persist through Sunday, May 12, 2024. 

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) has issued a Geomagnetic Storm Warning for Friday, May 10. Additional solar eruptions could cause geomagnetic storm conditions to persist through the weekend.

• The First of Several CMEs reached Earth on Friday, May 10 at 12:37 pm EDT.  The CME was very strong and SWPC quickly issued a series of geomagnetic storm warnings. SWPC observed G4 conditions at 1:39 pm EDT (G3 at 1:08 pm EDT).
• This storm is ongoing and SWPC will continue to monitor the situation and provide additional warnings as necessary.

This is an unusual and potentially historic event. Clinton Wallace , Director, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center

CMEs are explosions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun’s corona. They cause geomagnetic storms when they are directed at Earth. Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface , potentially disrupting communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations. SWPC has notified the operators of these systems so they can take protective action.

Geomagnetic storms can also trigger spectacular displays of aurora on Earth . A severe geomagnetic storm includes the potential for aurora to be seen as far south as Alabama and Northern California.

Related Features //

Ukraine war latest updates: Sky News reports from town under attack - as 'fierce fighting' rages in Kharkiv

Fighting is ongoing in Kharkiv, Ukraine's governor for the region has said - as Russia claims it has taken control of multiple villages. It follows a surprise offensive by Putin's military on Friday morning.

Saturday 11 May 2024 14:05, UK

• Civilians being evacuated in Vovchansk, in Kharkiv, after Friday morning's surprise attack by Putin's military 
• Sky's Deborah Haynes reports from town 'under attack'
• Analysis:  Russia's attack in Kharkiv region not a complete surprise - but the force of it is
• Russia says it downed Ukrainian rockets and drones overnight
• Ed Conway :  Russian oil still seeping into UK - the reasons why sanctions are not working
• Live reporting by Jake Levison

Russia says its troops have taken five villages and the Kharkiv region's governor says they are trying to take more as fierce fighting continues.

But Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military in the east, insists Moscow's troops are being contained in those villages.

"The enemy is contained in the grey zone, and it is not expanding," he said in a Ukrainian television interview, according to the Kyiv Independent.

The so-called "grey zone" refers to the villages of Borysivka, Ohirtseve, Pylna and Strilecha, all of which are directly on the border with Russia's Belgorod region.

Russian officials said they had also captured another village, Pletenivka.

As we reported earlier, Kharkiv's governor says fighting is ongoing in all the villages Russia has already claimed to have taken.

More now from Kharkiv's governor, who says 2,500 people have now been evacuated from the danger zone in Kharkiv, up from 1,775 this morning.

Oleh Syniehubov says regional authorities are continuing to get civilians out of the areas where fighting continues. 

And while Russia's defence ministry said earlier its forces had taken five border villages in the Kharkiv region, Mr Syniehubov says clashes are still ongoing in all five of the villages.

"As of now the enemy keeps pressing in the north of our region. Our forces have repelled nine attacks," he said in his media briefing.

Top Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said they do not believe Russia has the capacity to launch a successful operation to capture the city of Kharkiv, home to 1.3 million people.

But analysts have suggested Mr Putin's end goal may not be to capture the entire city, but rather to better protect the Russian border and to spread Ukraine's military more thinly.

Our security and defence editor   Deborah Haynes   is reporting to us from a residential area that was just hit by a Russian strike in Vovchansk.

She's standing by a block that's in flames and says local residents she's spoken to are scared the fire will spread to other residential blocks too.

One of the residents of the destroyed block, who had suffered injuries to her leg as a result of the explosion, spoke to Haynes.

"She doesn't know what to do - she's very confused," Haynes says. "This is a scene of chaos and terror."

She says the rest of the town is also "pretty much destroyed", adding explosions can still be heard nearby.

Haynes adds the town is still very much "under attack".

The Russian military is continuing its attacks in Kharkiv, the region's governor says.

Oleh Syniehubov said President Putin's troops were still trying to advance further after reportedly taking up to 1km yesterday.

The fierce fighting is raging across three villages near the Ukrainian border, he added.

His comments came shortly after Russia's defence ministry claimed its forces had taken five border villages in the Kharkiv region. 

Ukraine is yet to directly comment on Russia's claims.

The UK's Ministry of Defence has highlighted reports suggesting a Russian fighter aircraft accidentally dropped a bomb on a civilian area in Belgorod. 

The intelligence update relates to an incident on 4 May - not on the overnight drone strike in Belgorod we reported earlier. 

Here's what the ministry said: 

"It has been reported that a Russian fighter aircraft accidentally released a FAB-500 munition on a civilian area in Belgorod, Russia on 04 May 2024. 

"The Belgorod Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the explosion and damage on Razdobarkina street, Belgorod without identifying the cause. 

"30 houses and 10 cars were damaged, with five individuals requiring hospital care, illustrating the destructive power of the munition.

"This is not an isolated incident. On 18 February a FAB-250 was reportedly released on Soloti in the Belgorod area which led to the evacuation of 150 residents. 

"Media outlets suggest that such discharges are fairly common with 20 lost munitions accidentally dropped in the Belgorod region alone between March to April 2024.

"These instances indicate Russia's continued inability to successfully employ their munitions on intended targets. Such errors have destructive and lethal consequences for the Russian population."

Russia's defence ministry says its forces have taken five border villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region since its surprise attack began yesterday.

The ministry says Russian forces have taken the villages of Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, Borysivka, Pylna and Strilechna, all of which are directly on the border with Russia's Belgorod region.

In a briefing, it also said Russian troops have taken the village of Keramik in the eastern Donetsk region, where Moscow has made slow but steady advances in recent months.

Ukraine officials have not yet commented on the Russian defence ministry's claims. 

Our military analyst Sean Bell has been looking at Russia's brutal offensive in Kharkiv, which has led to mass evacuations.

It's been described as a surprise attack - but Bell says Ukraine has been warning over a potential attack by Russia in the region for several months.

"So it wasn't a complete surprise," he says. "But this attack by Russia wasn't just a minor thing - it was a coordinated attack.

"They were using air power, so glide bombs, artillery shells, multi-launch rocket systems and infantry."

He says the attack was clearly designed to "probe Ukrainian defences" and Russia has now made advances, with between 30,000 and 50,000 troops in the area.

Why has Russia opened up a second front in the war?

While Bell says it's a question only President Putin could answer for certain, he believes there are two likely reasons for Russia's latest attack.

First, the Russian border town of Belgorod is a logistics hub for Russian military activity, and is regularly targeted by artillery from Ukrainian territory.

As you'll see from our previous post, Russia said Ukraine targeted Belgorod just last night, killing one man and injuring another in a drone attack.

President Putin has long promised to create a buffer zone to push Ukrainian forces out of artillery range, which would limit the attacks on this frontier town, Bell says.

Secondly, although most analysts believe Russia would struggle to seize Kharkiv, the attack does force Ukraine to spread its limited resources across a broader front, leaving it more vulnerable to further attacks, he adds.

Earlier this morning we told you Russia said it downed 21 Ukrainian rockets and 16 drones overnight across its Belgorod, Kursk and Volgograd regions.

The governor of Russia's Belgorod region now says one man was killed and another injured after a Ukrainian drone hit a parked truck on the border village of Novostroyevka-Pervaya.

The Belgorod region borders Ukraine's Kharkiv region and has come under regular attack since the war began.

Kharkiv's regional governor has provided an update on Telegram this morning, where he's outlined how many civilians have fled their homes since Russia's attack yesterday.

Ukraine's second-largest city has seen a total of 1,775 people evacuate, Oleg Sinegubov said.

1,048 of those were from the Chuhuiv district, where Vovchansk is located. As we said earlier, Vovchansk has a population of around 3,000.

He said another 440 people were evacuated from the Kharkiv district, which encircles the city of Kharkiv, and 12 from Bohodukhiv district, located northwest of Kharkiv.

He added another 275 people were evacuated by volunteers across the region.

By Deborah Haynes , security and defence editor

Smoke hung in the air on the road into the border town of Vovchansk in northeastern Ukraine after a surprise Russian offensive.

Woodland that frames the route had caught fire amid the heavy bombardments.

Sky News followed a rescue team as they raced into Vovchansk in a white van to help evacuate residents amid fears of a wider assault by Moscow.

The streets in the part of the town we entered were largely deserted.

We pulled into a residential road of bungalows.

Part the way down there was a group of five elderly residents, gathered around a bench. They did not appear to be in a hurry to flee, despite the danger and warnings from the authorities for the town's around 3,000 residents to leave.

Read more here ...

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Britain to expel Russian attaché in response to ‘reckless and dangerous activities’ by Moscow

In this photo released by Russian Embassy in London/Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Colonel Maxim Elovik, Russia’s military attaché to the United Kingdom and Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrey Kelin, right, attend a laying wreaths ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe, at the Soviet war memorial in London, Britain, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Britain says it is expelling the attaché after accusing him of being a spy. The move announced Wednesday was one of several measures taken by the U.K. against Moscow over what it said were malicious activities. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

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LONDON (AP) — Britain will expel Russia’s defense attaché over spying allegations as part of several measures the government announced Wednesday to target Moscow’s intelligence gathering operations in the U.K.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said the measures were aimed at what he called the “reckless and dangerous activities of the Russian government across Europe.”

The latest round of measures will boot the attaché, Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the government termed an “undeclared military intelligence officer.” It will also rescind the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties because they are believed to have been used for intelligence purposes, and impose new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas and visits.

“In the coming days we should expect accusations of Russophobia, conspiracy theories and hysteria from the Russian government,” Cleverly said in Parliament. “This is not new and the British people and the British government will not fall for it, and will not be taken for fools by Putin’s bots, trolls and lackeys.”

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, told The Associated Press that “Russia will respond in kind.”

The U.K. has had an uneasy relationship with Russia for years, accusing its agents of targeted killings and espionage, including cyberattacks aimed at British parliamentarians and leaking and amplifying sensitive information to serve Russian interests. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Britain has also sanctioned hundreds of wealthy Russians and moved to clamp down on money laundering through London’s property and financial markets.

The government said Wednesday’s actions followed criminal cases in London alleging espionage and sabotage by people acting on behalf of Russia.

It also cited allegations that the Russian government planned to sabotage military aid for Ukraine in Germany and Poland and carried out spying in Bulgaria and Italy, along with cyber and disinformation activities, air space violations and jamming GPS signals to hamper civilian air traffic.

“Since the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s attempts to undermine UK and European security have become increasingly brazen,” Foreign Secretary David Cameron said. “These measures are an unequivocal message to the Russian state — their actions will not go unanswered.”

Elovik has been based in Britain since at least 2020. Russian state news agency Tass said he was summoned to the U.K.’s Defense Ministry the day Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

He has subsequently been pictured laying flowers to Soviet soldiers who died during the Second World War in both London and Manchester.

Riga renounces Moscow Suburb name in move to shed soviet echoes

O n the eve of Russia's Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, the authorities in Riga have decided to rename the district on the right bank of the Daugava river. The area formerly known as Moscow Suburb, situated in the heart of Latvia's capital, will be changed.

The city's urban development commission stated that these changes are part of the ongoing efforts to eliminate names tied to the Soviet occupation.

The Moscow Suburb in Riga will be renamed

“There will be no more names in Riga glorifying Moscow. There will be no more Moscow Suburb as a name either,” the vice mayor of Riga, Edvards Ratnieks, announced.

The district, known so far as Moscow Suburb (or Maskachka), represents one of the oldest areas of Riga, located along the eastern route towards Moscow. In its vicinity is a notable building reminiscent of a Stalinist palace, the Latvian Academy of Sciences.

The Moscow Suburb will shed its name, which suggests Russian influence, and revert to its historical name, Latgale Suburb.

Another step in Latvia moving away from pro-Russian names

Local television LSM recalled that last year, Latgale Park and Latgale Street had their historical names restored after being named after the Russian capital. Latgale is a historical region located in the eastern part of Latvia.

Following the authorities' decision, the name Latgale Suburb will soon be updated in the national and municipal cartographic and geospatial information systems.

Japan's tourism hits a historic high in March, with over 3 million visitors

Family's flight ordeal: Called 'idiot' for tarmac photo, demands apology

Leptospirosis outbreak in Mauritius linked to rat infestation

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