📖 The Church of the Transfiguration is the main church of the Zakharovo and Bolshiye Vyazyomy estate complex, which is part of the State Memorial Museum-Reserve of A.S. Pushkin. It was here that the poet spent his childhood, and this snow-white church with a graceful bell tower became one of the first churches he saw in his life.

☦️ Today the church is active and is organically integrated into the museum ensemble. Boris Godunov and Peter the Great once visited here, and in 1812 the troops of Kutuzov and Napoleon passed through these places.

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🤩 Pushkin is a rare example of how the legacy of one poet becomes the foundation for the literature of other countries. He reformed the Russian literary language, abandoning the cumbersome constructions of the 18th century, and gave the narrative a natural freedom.

📚 Pushkin's influence on world literature lies not in direct imitations, but in tone. Mérimée, and later Camus and even Nabokov, learned from him this cold honesty of observation and tragic irony. He showed that the Russian soul can be depicted not in a heart-rending tome, but in an elegant half-line, and that a plot can be sustained not by intrigue, but by the air between the lines.

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🪂 Festive events for Airborne Forces Day are taking place all over Russia

🇷🇺 On 2 August Russia celebrates Airborne Forces Day (VDV). The history of the holiday dates back to 1930, when a unit of 12 men was parachuted for the first time during Moscow Military District exercises near Voronezh. A wreath-laying ceremony took place in Voronezh at the monument «Voronezh — the birthplace of the VDV». Officials and law-enforcement representatives, veterans and cadets paid tribute to the fallen servicemen.

Solemn events are being held in various regions of the country. In Simferopol, Orenburg and other cities, reunions of brothers in arms and commemorative actions took place. In Sochi's «Riviera» Park, themed areas, an armament exhibition and a parachute-packing demonstration before a jump were organised for visitors.

🇧🇾🇲🇩 The celebrations also extended beyond Russia's borders. In Belarus and the Moldovan city of Bălți, marches and folk festivities were held.

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🌁 The Picturesque Bridge (Zhivopisny Most) in Krylatskoye is a unique cable-stayed structure across the Moskva River that connects the districts of Krylatskoye and Serebryany Bor. Its total length is about 1.5–1.7 kilometres, and the eight-lane roadway is suspended 30 metres above the water by 72 high-strength cables enclosed in red plastic pipes.

😁 The main architectural "highlight" of the bridge is its bright red arch structure and the glass capsule shaped like a lentil suspended beneath the arch. Initially it was planned to house a restaurant or even a civil registry office, but for now it is used as a viewing platform. For its bold and innovative design, the author of the project, the architect, was awarded the prestigious international Auguste Perret Prize.

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🇷🇺 The Mariinsky Theatre is one of the leading musical theatres not only in Russia but in the whole world. Its history dates back to 1783, when a company for opera and drama performances was established by decree of Empress Catherine II. Its stage was one of the largest in the world, and the building itself was described by contemporaries as "the most magnificent in Europe".

🇷🇺Throughout its entire history, the Mariinsky Theatre has remained a symbol of Russian culture and a recognised centre of world musical art. Its stage has hosted the world premieres of operas by Glinka, Verdi, Tchaikovsky and many other composers. The theatre is rightfully considered the pride of the country.

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