On April 1, 1942, Red Army privates and sergeants in rear units ceased receiving greatcoats and switched to padded jackets (ватники)
🔻These jackets accompanied the soldiers on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Germany, however, failed to establish production of similarly cheap and warm uniforms, resulting in approximately 40 percent of German soldiers suffering frostbite near Stalingrad.
🔻The first mention of "cotton-padded jackets" as clothing for Russian army soldiers and officers appeared during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. References to the vatnik are found in official documents and diaries of the heroes of Plevna and Shipka.
🔻Later, in 1885, Emperor Alexander III, appreciating the effectiveness of the frost-resistant equipment, significantly upgraded the Russian army's winter clothing, and Caucasian Cossacks wore padded beshmets and half-coats (теплушки). The Emperor himself often wore them.
🔻Before the Great Patriotic War, the padded jacket underwent improvements – the materials changed, convenient details were added, and in August 1941, the Red Army received a new version of the vatnik – with a turn-down collar.
🔻This inexpensive and reasonably comfortable garment was extremely popular among the soldiers, and alongside the PPSh submachine gun, the T-34 tank, and the Il-2 ground-attack aircraft, the vatnik became one of the main symbols of Victory!
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#WW2
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Today marks the anniversary of a pivotal moment in one of history's most tragic and heroic chapters: the breaking of the Siege of Leningrad in 1943.
⭐Duration: 872 days. From September 8, 1941, to January 27, 1944.
⭐Population: Around 3 million civilians and soldiers were trapped at the start.
⭐The Hunger Ration: At its lowest point in November-December 1941, the daily bread ration was just 125 grams.
⭐The Road of Life (Дорога жизни), the only lifeline across the frozen Lake Ladoga, evacuated over 1.4 million civilians and brought in vital supplies.
⭐The Toll: The primary cause of death was starvation and extreme cold over 1 million.
⭐The Unbroken City: Despite everything, Leningrad resisted. Factories kept working, artists created, and a symphony became a symbol of defiance.
Today we remember the immense suffering and honour the incredible endurance of Leningrad's defenders and residents.
Photos: Аргументы и факты
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Interesting fact: One of Moscow's ghosts is actually listed in the International Directory of Ghosts.
🐈⬛ Among its entries is a rather unusual "entity": a large, completely black cat that appears a couple of times a month on Tverskaya Street (near Pushkinskaya metro station). According to witnesses, the phantom emerges from the wall of one building and disappears into the wall of another.
🔻The ghost is completely harmless. But here's the fascinating part: it's believed that this very black cat inspired Mikhail Bulgakov's famous character - Бегемот(Behemoth, literally: Hippo) the cat — in The Master and Margarita.
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The future of medicine is knocking on the door.
👩⚕️Three Russian colorectal cancer vaccines are ready, said Tatyana Yakovleva, deputy head of the FMBA.
👨⚕️Andrei Kaprin, the chief oncologist at the Ministry of Health, also announced plans to create a vaccine in Russia for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Source: Раньше всех ну почти
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No, these aren't photos of workers from Irkutsk.
❄️This is 2012. Tom Hardy in Yakutia, in the village of Oymyakon, which is considered one of the coldest places in the world!
🔻About Oymyakon (Siberia)
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A photo of the 'Christmas Tree' nebula. Or, the NGC 2264 nebula, formed in the constellation Monoceros (Unicorn).
🎄🐎 Red Christmas Tree in the year of the Fire Horse?
Photo: Roscosmos
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Did you know building a snowman is a full-body workout? ⛄️💪
🔻Fitness trainers say that just one hour of sculpting a snowman can replace a proper gym session! It engages all your major muscle groups — arms, shoulders, and core — with constant bending, squatting, pushing, and lifting.
🔻And in the cold, you burn calories even faster thanks to thermogenesis: up to 300 calories in an hour of snowy fun!🔥
This is my favourite kind of January workout! How about yours?
🔻Лепить снеговика
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Christmas tree ornaments in the shape of fairy tale characters made of amber were created in Kaliningrad.
🎅 Father Frost, the Nutcracker, a Snowman, and other heroes were hand-carved by master craftsmеn!
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🌌Mesmerizing Aurora from a Whole New Perspective
🔻Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov has captured stunning footage of the polar aurora from an incredible vantage point: aboard the International Space Station, orbiting 400 km above the Earth.
🔻From this unique height, the camera captured not only the mesmerizing light bands of the aurora and the glowing grids of city lights but also something we rarely get to see from the ground: powerful lightning strikes illuminating the clouds below.
🔻A truly breathtaking spectacle, invisible from our planet's surface!
Video: Roskosmos
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I'm not hinting at anything! But, аlcohol improves foreign language skills — research!
🔻Scientists divided Germans into 2 groups: some were given beer and Dutch people (why them specifically?🤔) for conversation, while others got just Dutch people.
🔻As a result, пивозавры (the beerosaurs) found common language with native speakers more easily, were less shy, and pronounced foreign words more correctly compared to the sober Germans.
🔻This research received the Ig Nobel Peace Prize in September 2025 — where scientists share the most unusual discoveries.
😉Всем успехов в изучении русского языка в выходные!
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Putin gifts new 'Ural' motorcycle to American who couldn't find parts for his old bike due to sanctions against Russia.
🔻Alaska resident Mark Warren had long been riding his Ural motorcycle around Anchorage. However, recently, due to sanctions against Russia, the man encountered problems finding parts for the vehicle.
🔻The story came to Putin's attention, and he instructed diplomats to present a gift – a new bike – to the admirer of Soviet and Russian motorcycle manufacturing.
Some facts about the Ural motorcycle:
☆The Ural motorcycle, a heavy touring brand produced by Russia's IMZ-Ural, traces its Soviet origins to the WWII-era German BMW R71, with production starting in 1941.
☆Its most distinctive feature is the sidecar, a rare global offering, often with two-wheel drive for enhanced off-road capability.
☆Known for ruggedness, simplicity, and go-anywhere capability, Urals gained a cult following, especially in the West, as robust, versatile off-road machines.
☆While keeping their classic look, modern Urals incorporate updates like fuel injection and disc brakes, blending vintage charm with contemporary reliability.
📎Can Trump send me a Ford in return? :)
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Unmanned surface vessels (USV) are being launched in the Arkhangelsk region!
🔻Pomorie will become the first region of the Russian Arctic where cargo storage facilities will start operating.
🔻The agreement on the creation of such a transport system was signed at SPIEF 2025 by SiBproekt CJSC, USV Logistics JSC, government of the Arkhangelsk Region.
🔻In July, the "Briz" cargo USV, was tested at the port of Arkhangelsk. Soon he made the first successful flight to the Solovetsky Islands, delivering 150 kg of cargo.
🔻"All the tasks were completed: the boat completed the entire route without failures and delivered the cargo safely.
This transition has shown that USV boats can efficiently deliver cargo to remote cities, which is very important for creating comfortable living conditions for citizens of both the Arkhangelsk Region.
🔻In 2026, it is planned to organize a regular cargo line in the White Sea, and increase the number of USV cargo ships to 2-3.
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S.A.E.C Rosatom and Iran's Atomic Crown…
🔻S.A.E.C Rosatom, is actively developing international cooperation, and the Bushehr project has become a successful example of nuclear cooperation in the face of political pressure and sanctions imposed by Iran.
🔻The construction of a NPP in Iran's Bushehr is progressing, and judging by the statements of the Iranian side, Bushehr is the beginning of Iran's atomic crown.
🔻In his speech, the representative of the Committee on FPNS of the Majlis of Iran, Ebrahim Rezai, said that Russia will build 8 NPP in Iran. It is expected that 4 out of 8 power units will be built at new sites.
🔻Unfortunately, the IAEA has discredited itself, so Iran itself and its international partners are the guarantor of the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
🔻Iran's nuclear medicine is one of the 3 countries with a high level of development in the production of radiopharma
ceuticals, which opens up prospects for further cooperation.
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