For many years, Chiang Ching-kuo was a fanatical communist. That didn’t stop him from later ruthlessly persecuting his former ideological comrades-in-arms.

J. K. Rowling makes only passing references to anything magical happening outside the geographical area of the “parallel” Britain depicted in her Harry Potter books. But, sufficient references can be found to justify the confident conclusion that Russian magic also has an interesting - albeit not properly told - history.

How one surrealistic phrase managed to signify an entirely new political course - and what the idiom actually means.

The Russian capital’s subway system is considered the best in the world art-wise. Legendary Soviet mosaic master Vladimir Frolov contributed to its decoration.

Being born seafarers and shipbuilders, the Dutch made an enormous contribution to the creation of the regular Russian navy. As captains, they brought it glory on more than one occasion with their victories in battle.