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Russian Winter – the View From Outer Space

Jan 26, 2017 - 03:00 pm

Located on the Kuban River, Krasnodar got its modern name only after the October Revolution and translates as “gift of the reds.” Originally, Krasnodar was named Yekaterinodar, recognizing Catherine's the Great's land grant to the Black Sea Cossacks in the region. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

Altai is one of the most attractive Russian destinations among tourists. Beautiful in any season, the mountains are located on the border with Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan – a testament to both their scale and the cultural diversity of the region in which they are located. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

Also in the Altai region is the Barnaul administrative center which is surrounded by the forest steppe of the West Siberian Plain. Temperatures here swing between two extremes – from -45 Degrees Celsius in winter, to +35 in summer. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

Developed in the 17th Century, Irkutsk is one of the biggest cities in Siberian region. The city's architecture satisfies tourists' desire to know the 'real' Russia – the most common constructions in Irkutsk are the classic wooden housing. Irkutsk is also one of the best destinations to start a journey to Baikal, which is just 5 hours by car. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

Russia's Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It lies between the Irkutsk region and the Buryat Republic in southeast Siberia. The lake, which is home to 1,340 species of animal and 570 species of plant, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

Known as Stalingrad during the Soviet Union, Volgograd is famous internationally as the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and, indeed, of modern warfare in general. Sadly, now it is one of the poorest cities in Russia. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

Komsomolsk-na-Amure is a city in the Khabarovsk region, situated in the Russian Far East more than 6000 kilometers from Moscow. Komsomolsk-na-Amure is also a very important industrial point on the Russian map. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

The second largest city in the Far East, after Vladivostok, Khabarovsk is only 300 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean. In 2016, Khabarovsk was one places where President Vladimir Putin approved a law giving Russian citizens free plots of land. Khabarovsk is twinned with Portland, Oregon. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

Just months after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev jokingly promised to show "Kuzka's mother" to the Americans in Moscow, he made his first official visit to the United States — and ended up taking a trip that proved crucial for Vladivostok. Impressed by the views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge, Khrushchev called for the residents of Vladivostok, which he visited on his way back home in 1959, to turn the city into "our San Francisco." Now Vladivostok is Russia's biggest port on the Pacific Ocean, located on the northwestern coast of the Sea of Japan and borders the Eastern Bosporus Strait and part of the Amur Bay. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

Avachinsky – Avacha – is an active stratovolcano in one of the most beautiful places in Russia, the Kamchatka peninsula. Avachinsky's last eruption occurred in 2008. Every winter, Russians visit the volcano for skiing and snowboarding. Anton Shkaplerov / Anatoly Ivanishin / Federal Space Agency

Russia's natural beauty is at its most stark during the Winter months. These shots, taken from a satellite, provide a new spin on familiar sights but without the unforgiving weather.

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