Last Updated: August 28, 2022
What Is Russia Famous For? (Vodka, Moscow and…)
Not sure what Russia is famous for? Then you’re certainly in the right place because this guide covers all the things that the Russian Republic, the largest country in the world, is known for internationally!
Russia is famous for the cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg as well its leader, Vladimir Putin. Of course, people also know Russia for its Vodka, Russian Dolls, and many other things.
They’re featured on this list, but we’ve also got lots of other things that are popular about the country, for a total of 21 things that make Russia famous all over the world!
Table Of Contents Show All
Moscow
Russia is best known for Moscow, its stunning capital city on the Moskva River in Western Russia. The city is home to many of Russia’s famous landmarks, including the Red Square, the Bolshoi Theater, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Kremlin, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and many others.
The stunning city is both the largest and the most populated city in Russia, as well as the fourth city in the world by the number of billionaires who reside there. The Moscow metro system is also an impressive engineering feat and is huge at 325.4 km. in total length. Moscow metro is also famous worldwide because of the stunning architecture of many of the metro stations.
Vladimir Putin
Russia is famous for Vladimir Putin, the president who has been in office for what seems like an eternity. He’s been the president of the country since 1999, only stepping down for one term in 2008 because the law required him to do so. Recently he signed legislation that would allow him to stay in office until 2036, so it’s unlikely that he’ll be stepping down again any time soon.
Putin is notorious for the treatment of his political opponents, and most recently he has been in the center of a scandal surrounding the poisoning and imprisonment of Alexei Navalny. The president and members of his cabinet have vehemently denied being involved in the incident, but most people remain skeptical because the list of people who have the power to do something like that begins and ends with Vladimir Putin.
KGB
All over the world, there is talk of secretive Russian spies. They infiltrate foreign clandestine agencies as work as double agents, plus they often carry out assassinations of high-profile targets. In case they’re ever caught, these Russian spies are instructed to commit suicide, as the most painless way out.
The spies were actually KGB agents, and they did exist back during the Cold War, right after the end of World War II. KGB was officially resolved in 1991, and today the FSB (Federal Security Service) has a similar role.
Vodka
Vodka is the one alcoholic beverage that everyone associates with Russia. It’s the national drink, and at one point in time, it accounted for 40% of the government’s total revenue.
Russians are notorious for consuming vast quantities of vodka, but the average per capita consumption of the famous drink has actually dropped by a lot in the last few years. The reason for that is because consumption of other alcoholic beverages went up – Russians didn’t stop drinking, they just switched to other drinks for a little while.
That is a direct result of the many different anti-alcoholism measures that have been put in place in the country. Russia was notorious for its alcohol-related deaths, but those numbers have gone down as well. It seems that things are looking up for Russians, but they still remain one of the nations with the largest alcohol consumption in the world.
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is the second-largest city in Russia both by area size and population. It’s commonly known as Russia’s Cultural Capital and it is a very popular tourist destination. Also, St. Petersburg is home to lots of important institutions, including the Russian Navy, the Constitutional Court of Russia, as well as the National Library.
The city is often dubbed Venice of the north, thanks to the abundance of bridges throughout the city. While Venice has some 400 bridges total, St. Petersburg comes very close with 342 bridges, many of which are considered architectural masterpieces.
Its Size
Russia is the largest country in the world, covering an area of more than 17 million square kilometers – that’s more than one-eight of all the inhabited land areas on planet Earth. The country has the most borders in the world (including one with Norway on the Barents Sea), it spreads across 11 different time zones, and it’s the most populous country in Europe with an estimated population of about 142 million. Moscow is the largest city in all of Europe, Russian is the most spoken of all the Slavic languages, as well as the most-spoken native language on the European continent.
The Soviet Union
Before the Russian Federation was officially formed, The Soviet Union was the largest country in the world. Officially called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the state existed from 1922 to 1991 spanning both Europe and Asia. Eventually, the USSR grew into one of the world’s largest superpowers, including 15 different republics that were led by the Russian communist party. The Soviet Union was officially dissolved in 1991, following a coup attempt in August of the same year, leaving the United States as the world’s main superpower.
Kremlin
Kremlin literally means “a fortress inside the city” and that’s what the Moscow Kremlin is – a walled complex in the heart of historic Moscow. It was founded by the Rurikids dynasty back in the 15th century, and it is the best known of all the kremlins in Russia. The complex features five palaces, four cathedrals, plus the Kremlin Towers and Kremlin Wall.
The centerpiece of the complex is the Grand Kremlin Palace, which used to serve as the official Moscow residence of the Russian Tsar. Today, the entire complex functions as the official residence of the president of Russia (Putin), as well as a museum that gets millions of visitors annually. The Moscow Kremlin is officially a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most famous landmarks not just in Moscow, but in the entire Russian Federation.
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is a rift lake in southern Siberia and the largest freshwater lake (by volume) in the entire world. It covers an area of approximately 31,722 km2, and it contains a whopping 23% of all the world’s fresh surface water. The lake is actually larger than Belgium and is the deepest lake in the world.
This is also the deepest and the oldest lake in the world, so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the most famous attractions in Russia. The region surrounding the lake is often called Baikalia, and it is home to Buryat tribes who have settled on the eastern side of the lake. The temperature in this region ranges from −2 °F to 57 °F throughout the year, allowing for the cultivation of thousands of plant species endemic to the area.
It’s also worth noting that the seventh-largest lake in the world has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, precisely because of the variety of flora and fauna that are endemic to the region.
The Space Race
Another thing that Russia is famous for is the Space Race. When the Cold War pitted two of the most powerful nations in the world against each other, space suddenly became another arena where they could compete for superiority.
Russia was the first country to send a living creature to space (that poor dog!), at a time when the United States was concerned with national borders outside planet Earth. Russia was also the first one to send a man into space, Yuri Gagarin, as well as the first nation to place a man-made object into the orbit of the Earth. The US eventually won the Space Race by landing on the moon, but the world’s largest country proved to be a worthy competitor.
Chess
Russia is famous for being the country with the most chess grandmasters in the world. There is a total of 255 GMs in Russia, and a little more than 2,000 active titleholders, which is certainly an impressive number.
Nobody knows exactly when and why chess become so popular in the country, but it’s believed that its prominence has something to do with Russia’s rulers. It’s a known fact that some of Russia’s most prominent leaders from history, including both Lenin and Stalin, were avid chess players.
Women In Heels
Go for a walk along the streets of Moscow, and you’ll notice an overwhelming number of women walking around in stilettos. Russian women are known for walking around in 6-inch heels and sporting a full face of makeup even when they’re heading just to the nearest grocery store. That’s probably why Russian women are consistently rated as some of the most beautiful women in the world, deservedly so.
The Cold
Russia is famous for being one of the coldest countries in the world, but contrary to popular belief, it’s not always that cold in the country. The average temperature in Russia ranges from 18° F in the winter to some 75° F in the summer, which isn’t that bad. However, it is worth noting that the country extends over a huge landmass, which encompasses some of the coldest regions of the world, as well as spanning two continents, and touching two oceans, the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
The geographical region of Siberia is famous for its incredibly harsh winters, with an average January temperature of -13°F. Additionally, Russia is home to Oymyakon, which had been regarded as the coldest inhabited place on Earth until the summer of 2021. That’s when temperatures in the town soared up to a record-breaking 88.8°F in June.
The Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian railway connects western and eastern parts of Russia, and it is the longest railway in the world. It extends from Moscow to Vladivostok, with an impressive length of 5,772 miles. The journey from Russia’s capital city to the country’s far east lasts for about a week, and it’s an experience for the bucket lists.
Although multiple trains operate on this route, the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express is the most coveted option for most travelers. Bookings for the 15-day journey start at a little over $18,000 for a twin coupe in the Silver class, while the most luxurious train experience will set you back some $84,000. It’s worth noting that the train stops at various cities throughout Russia and that passengers are taken on private tours and greeted with champagne.
The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express is not the only train that operates on this route, and it’s possible to experience the world’s longest railway for a lot less money. It’s won’t be quite as luxurious, but you still get to admire the many scenic sights that the world’s longest train journey offers.
Natural Gas
Russia is the second-largest producer of dry natural gas, as well as the largest exporter of natural gas in the world. Most European countries get their natural gas from Russia, and in the European Union, about 39% of all gas imports come from the Russian Federation. Additionally, Russia is also one of the key suppliers of LNG to European countries, and pipelines from the country extend as far as the United Kingdom.
Literature
Russian literature is well known all over the world. It has produced some of the most famous novelists on the planet, including Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pasternak, Nabokov, and many others. Five Nobel Prizes for literature were awarded to Russian novelists, and as of 2011, the country is the fourth-largest producer of books in the world.
Russian literature is often characterized as depressing and bleak, but despite that, it includes some of the best and most famous novels ever written. Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, Lolita, War and Peace, The Master and Margarita, and Doctor Zhivago are just a few of the most famous novels of Russian literature.
Dashcams
Russia is famous for dashcam footage that manages to capture bizarre and incredulous events. But, how come so many people in the country have dashcams if they’re not obligatory by law?
It’s partly because of the corrupt law enforcement and a legal system that seldom favors first-hand accounts of traffic incidents. That’s why dashcams are pretty much obligatory for motorists, who would otherwise be subject to unfair treatment from both the police and the legal system.
It’s also worth noting that road conditions in Russia are not that great – because of the size of the country and the cold weather that often results in icy roads, it’s no surprise that the dashcams manage to capture so many horrifying traffic incidents – and other bizarre events – on a daily basis.
Matryoshka Doll
The Matryoshka doll is one of the most famous souvenirs from Russia. They’re more commonly known as babushka dolls or nesting dolls, and they’ve become so popular over the years that now you can buy them pretty much anywhere in the world. They’re a set of wooden dolls that are placed one inside another in decreasing size, and usually, it’s possible to separate their tops and bottoms.
The first set of Russian dolls was made back in 1890, and the rest is pretty much history. It’s tradition for the largest of the dolls to depict a woman wearing a sarafan, and for the smallest of the dolls to depict a baby or a child. The dolls in the middle can be of either gender and dressed in anything.
Oligarchs
There are 117 billionaires in Russia, which makes it the fifth country in the world by the number of billionaires. They’re more commonly known as oligarchs, but it’s worth noting that not every single billionaire in the country is an oligarch.
Russian oligarchs are vastly wealthy businessmen who accumulated wealth quickly during the Russian privatization, shortly after the dissolution of the USSR. Most of them have deep connections with the Russian government, which enables them to keep accumulating wealth as the years go by.
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan the Terrible is one of the most famous figures in Russian history. He served as the grand prince of Moscow for 14 years, from 1533 to 1547. In 1547, he declared himself the tsar of Russia, and in doing so became the first Moscow ruler to do something like that. Russia’s first tsar was described as a complex and intelligent man, but with episodes of paranoia and rage.
One thing that Ivan the Terrible is famous for is his marriage to Anastasia Romanovna, whom he married just two weeks following his coronation. Anatasia was a member of the Romanov family, which rose to prominence after her marriage and later became the reigning dynasty in Russia, from 1613 to 1917. Anastasia also became the first Russian Tsarina, and it is widely believed that she had a moderating impact on the unpredictable character of her husband.
Doping & Sports Bans
Russian athletes are notorious for systematic doping, which has resulted in a two-year ban for the Russian Federation from all major sporting events, including the Olympics. Russian athletes can still compete in the sports, but they must compete under a neutral flag until the ban is lifted.
The 2017 documentary film Icarus brought a lot of attention to this issue. The director, Bryan Fogel, discovered that the head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov, was actually involved in procuring steroids and dope to Russian athletes, by the order of the Russian state.
It was confirmed that he was directly involved in a cover-up of positive doping tests, destruction of more than 1,400 urine samples, and procuring dope for Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. An international scandal ensued, and shortly after a four-year ban was imposed on the Russian Federation, which was quickly shortened to a two-year ban after complaints from the state.
About the Author Anna Timbrook
Anna is the co-owner of expert world travel and can't wait to share her travel experience with the world. With over 54 countries under her belt she has a lot to write about! Including those insane encounters with black bears in Canada.
