Questions and Answers about
Russia
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in HistoryTchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture was written as a commemoration of what?
Answer: The 1812 Overture was composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia’s successful defense against Napoleon’s army in 1812
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in PoliticsThe European Union’s embargo on Russian oil exempts which country?
Answer: The European Union’s deal to embargo Russian oil, finalized on May 30, 2022, exempts Hungary from the measure the rest of the bloc is taking to punish Russia for its brutal invasion of Ukraine._x000D_
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in Classic RockWhich 1990 song opens with the lyrics “Follow the Moskva / Down to Gorky Park”?
Answer: The Scorpions’ “Wind Of Change” used to open with the lyrics “Follow the Moskva / Down to Gorky Park,” but the band decided to make some changes. “It simply isn’t right to romanticize Russia,” lead singer Klaus Meine told Die Zeit on May 29, 2022. Instead, the revised lyrics say: “Now listen to my…
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in HistoryWhat was the first American fast-food restaurant to open in the Soviet Union?
Answer: Two months after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, McDonald’s opened its doors in Moscow – the first American fast-food restaurant to enter the Soviet Union. 33 years later, on May 16, 2022, McDonald’s confirmed that it is selling its 850 restaurants in Russia, increasing the country’s isolation over its war in Ukraine.
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in PoliticsWhat’s Azovstal?
Answer: Azovstal Iron and Steelworks is one of the largest steel companies in Ukraine. About 600 civilians and 2,000 Ukrainian fighters were trapped in the Mariupol steel mill for over 60 days during the destruction of the Ukrainian port town by Russian forces, beginning Feb. 24, 2022. The last civilians who found shelter in bunkers…
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in HistoryHow many Soviet people died in World War II?
Answer: During World War II, known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia, the Soviet Union lost 27 million people. May 6 marks the celebration of the Soviet Union’s victory over the Nazis in WWII. Russians regard Victory Day as a national holiday. A massive military parade is held on Red Square to commemorate the…
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in HistoryWhat was the Russian cruiser Moskva?
Answer: The Russian Navy’s Moskva was a guided-missile cruiser. She led the Russian naval invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and sank 100 km off the coast of Odesa on Apr. 14, 2022. According to Ukrainian officials and the US Department of Defense, Ukraine fired two anti-ship missiles at the cruiser. The Russian Ministry of Defense…
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in HistoryWhere did Russian novelist Mikhail Bulgakov and his family spend their summers?
Answer: Author Mikhail Bulgakov (The Master and Margarita) used to spend his summers with his family in their dacha (summer vila) in Bucha, Ukraine._x000D_
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in BusinessWho’s the world’s largest diamond producer?
Answer: In 2020, Russia’s state-owned ALROSA Group produced approximately 30 million carats of diamonds, making it the world’s largest diamond producer._x000D_
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in PoliticsAs of the end of March 2022, how many Ukrainian children had to leave their homes?
Answer: The United Nations children’s agency, on March 24, 2022, reported that over half of Ukraine’s children, 4.3 million of an estimated 7.5 million, have fled their homes in the first month of the Russian invasion, including about 1.8 million child refugees who have left the country. The total number of refugees who have flooded…
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in TechnologyWhat are hypersonic missiles?
Answer: Hypersonic missiles, by definition, fly at least 5 times the speed of sound (Mach 5), can fly at up to 10 times the speed of sound, and can maneuver in mid-flight, making it harder for air-defense systems to intercept. Russia has said it has twice deployed its newest Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missile in Ukraine,…
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in PoliticsWhat’s Roskomnadzor?
Answer: Roskomnadzor is Russia’s communications and media regulator who blocked Instagram and Facebook in the country, on March 21, 2022, for “extremist activity.” Prosecutors haven’t requested to ban WhatsApp’s Meta-owned messaging service, widely popular in Russia. A court’s ruling prohibits Meta from opening offices and doing business in Russia._x000D_
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in PoliticsWhat’s the Dollar value of 30,000 Roubles?
Answer: As of mid-March 2022, $1 is worth 99 Russian Roubles, making 30,000 Roubles worth exactly $280 (about £215). That’s the fine a Russian court punished Marina Ovsyannikova with for violating local protest laws. Ovsyannikova broke onto a live March 14, 2022, news broadcast on Russia’s state TV Channel One in a demonstration against Russia’s…
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in PlacesDoes the letter Z exist in the Cyrillic Russian alphabet?
Answer: The letter Z does not exist in the Cyrillic Russian alphabet. Yet, Z has become the main symbol of public support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Observers first spotted the mysterious Z-shaped letter hand-painted on Russian tanks massed on the Ukrainian border in Feb. 2022. On March 4, 2022, thousands of Serbs waving Russian…
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in ArtsWhere is the Bolshoi Theatre located?
Answer: The Bolshoi Theatre is located in Moscow, Russia._x000D_
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in TechnologyWhat’s Ukraine’s most popular messaging app?
Answer: Telegram is Ukraine’s most popular messaging app. The app, which has more than 550 million monthly users globally, was banned in Russia in 2018 after its founder Pavel Durov refused to give the authorities access to its user data. Russia lifted the ban in mid-2020. Telegram became a 24-hour news source for civilians, journalists, and…
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in SportsWhy was WNBA player Brittney Griner arrested and detained in Russia?
Answer: WNBA player and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was arrested and detained in Russia in late Feb. 2022, upon arriving from New York. Russian Customs Service found vape cartridges with hashish oil in her luggage._x000D_
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in BusinessWhere is Stolichnaya (Stoli) vodka produced?
Answer: Stolichnaya (Stoli) vodka has long been marketed as Russian vodka, but its production facilities have been in Latvia since 2000, when its founder, Russian-born billionaire Yuri Shefler, was exiled because of his opposition to Putin. On March 4, 2022, the maker of Stolichnaya vodka announced a major rebrand – it will no longer be…
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in PoliticsAccording to President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address, who are the “corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime”?
Answer: On his first state of the union address, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. was launching a task force to go after Russian oligarchs in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. He called the oligarchs “corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime.” “We are coming for your ill-begotten…
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in PoliticsWhen British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace says Putin has gone “full tonto” over Ukraine, what does he mean?
Answer: When someone goes “full tonto” in English slang, he’s acting like a lunatic. The term, a former name of various subgroups of the Apache people, literally means “foolish” in Spanish. UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Feb. 23, 2022, that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had gone “full tonto” over Ukraine by invading it.…
