Past and future meet on Khabarovsk coast

The Khabarovsk Region in Russia’s Far East is the country’s main gateway to the Pacific. It is also a center for coal and wood exports to the heavily-populated and fuel-hungry Asian economies, including China, South Korea and Japan. ­As RT discovered, keeping industry alive there does not have to be at the expense of tradition. A coal stacker is a monstrous-looking machine which has become the...

With old ways forgotten, indigenous communities turn desperate

Khabarovsk Region, in the country's Far East, is home to Russians, Ukrainians, Tartars and even Koreans. The area's indigenous population is adapting to a shrinking world, where cultures and people increasingly mix. ­RT has been to Khabarovsk to explore how the ancient people of this land are attempting to keep their way of life alive and retain their identity in the global village. The Nanai...

Timber barons wreak devastation in Russia’s Far East

­Russia’s coastal region on the border with China, some 8,000 kilometres from Moscow, is the meeting point of two mighty rivers – the Amur and the Ussuri. It harbors some of the most incredible habitats for the country’s wildlife. But the march of the industrial moguls is putting its future on the line. Looty the tiger was found starving in the forest as a six-month-old cub. He is now 19 years...

Wrestling with football passion: Dagestan’s sporting salvation

Russia’s republic of Dagestan often makes headlines for violence. But there are other battles away from the front line that many hope the region will one day be remembered for. ­For centuries this area has been renowned for its strong and brave population. And for being the birthplace of many world champions in all types of wrestling, Now, as RT's Madina Kochenova reports, the republic is...

Russia’s oldest city: 5,000 and counting

RT travels to the country’s southernmost and oldest city. First mentioned by Ancient Greek historians, Derbent maintained strategic importance in the region for millennia and may have been the cradle of Islam in Russia. The city’s present-day name is Persian in origin and is translated as “narrow gates”. In Arabic it was called Bab al-Abvab, or “the gate of all gates”. Many other names it had...

Surfing the Russian winds

Slowly, the old Soviet resorts on Russia’s Black Sea coast are becoming centers of sporting excellence. It is hoped that with the right support, this region could become a major water sports destination. ­The Black Sea waters full of jellyfish, the sea full of waves – and the wind whips the air with salty spray, which is just what everyone has come here for. Throughout the week, hundreds of...

Treasuring trash on Black Sea coast

On the Black Sea coast in southern Russia, people are doing their bit to protect the planet. From the art of recycling to rescuing wildlife – RT discovers how the environment is being cared for. ­Artist Nina Nikiforova has no difficulty finding construction materials. Critics might call her art complete rubbish, and in one sense, they would be absolutely right. Everything you see in her gallery...

Mussels, oysters, quality wine – from Russia? Well, yes!

­Russia’s Black Sea coast is not famed across the globe for it is gourmet dining – yet. Now, a growing number of pioneers are trying to put the region on the world food map. ­The only mussel and oyster farm in this area of the Black Sea coast, as RT’s Tom Barton discovered, is run by four ex-scientists who used to study the region’s marine life back in Soviet times. ­Still too exotic ­ “When the...

All arms embrace Penza

­Some 600km south-east of Moscow, the Penza Region is stamped on Russia’s area with grand estates that have inspired Russia's greatest writers. But some places which have roused poets' passions in the past have a shaky future. ­Tarkhany: Where poetry rests ­A modest country seat that in Tsarist times survived on farming and small-scale manufacturing, Tarkhany happened to be the childhood home of...

High-tech heart hub - Penza

­The Russian town of Penza has become a high-tech hub within its rich heritage. It is also home to a unique heart valve factory, saving people’s lives around the world every day The factory’s products have become so successful that they are now being exported to more than 20 countries around the world. RT’s Igor Ogorodnev has been allowed to witness a life-saving operation in which doctors sewed...