Watch the classic movies that you previously didn’t have time for and explore new ones
Here is your guide where to watch Russian movies online (and with English subtitles) - these are available on YouTube, Netflix, and other digital platforms.
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Don’t know what exactly to watch? Well, start with 10 must-see Soviet movies. These are classics that you will love for sure, and that will put you in a good mood. And here are the best Russian films of the last decade.
Travel back in time to Russia’s ‘wild 90s’ with these movies, or to the time of the Second World War with these movies.
The Russian Center for Documentary offers a 30-day free trial on its website nonfiction.film which has a big collection of movies with English subtitles. One of the most recent premiers - ‘Russian Georgians’ - is a historical research movie by the famous Russian journalist Leonid Parfenov.
Nikolay Lebedev/TriE, 2016
At the same time TNT Premier video platform has opened its archive for free (in Russian).
Not enough for you? Here are 100 Russian and Soviet movies that will suit any taste.
Perfect time to read Tolstoy and other great Russian writers
For long Christmas holidays we’ve put together a list of books that are a win-win option. So, this one is not outdated, but rather the opposite - it’s the very thing you need and includes all the best Russian books.
Wonder what’s on the agenda of contemporary authors? Here is a very fresh list of the best Russian books translated into English last year.
Basic Books, Thomas Dunne Books, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, Yale University Press
If you aren’t interested in novels, here is a list of non-fiction books about Russia written by foreigners. These make for very exciting reading.
Isn’t it again enough for you? If not, then please find an appropriate option in our list of 112 Russian writers and their best books.
Take a virtual walk around Russian museums
Enter the stunning Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg without waiting on line. Walk around Russia’s biggest art storage - the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow - just for free and at whatever time suits you.
You are not able to travel right now - and there’s no need to travel when all the main Russian museums have their collection online!
Moreover, most museums are preparing an interesting online program. For example, on March 19, the Garage Museum for Contemporary Art will arrange an online concert of an improvisation ensemble.
Take online lectures and courses, watch broadcasts
Visit the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theaters without leaving your couch! They will broadcast their ballets and operas for free, but there won’t be spectators present, because mass cultural events have been cancelled in Russia until early April.
Evgeny Biyatov / Sputnik
The Pushkin Museum for Fine Arts opened its Academia online project for free. There are three levels: for beginners, advanced students and for kids - all the materials and lectures are about the world’s art and culture! It’s available only in Russian, just like the online enlightenment project offered by The Hermitage Museum.
At the same time, the online Arzamas.Academy opened its cultural lectures and podcasts for a free trial - just type promo code КАРАНТИН here. Unfortunately, it’s also only in Russian.
Legion Media
Other options for free courses in Russian are: Postnauka, which is about a variety of scientific topics; OpenEdu that has courses from Russia’s leading universities; and Vector by Strelka for those who want to change the urban space.
Explore Soviet Union history
Lev Polikashin/RIA Novosti
Here is just everything you need to know about the USSR and loads of useful links! And read books that were banned back then, but which now are considered to be classics of Russian culture!