European Russia Collection

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) walking on Champ Island glacier above the sea, Franz Josef Land, Russian Arctic. Highly commended in Animals in their Environment Category of the Wildlife Photographer of

Soviet Pe-2 bomber and pilot, 1944
Soviet Pe-2 bomber and pilot. The pilot, Grigory Pasynkov, held the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Photographed in December 1944, in the St Petersburg region of Russia

Alexander Yakovlev, aircraft designer
Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev (1906-1989), Soviet aircraft designer, in military uniform and holding an aircraft model. In 1932, Yakovlev founded what became the the Yakovlev design bureau

Nikolay Urvantsev, Soviet geologist
Nikolay Nikolayevich Urvantsev (1893-1985), Soviet geologist, speaking in public at his 80th birthday celebration. Urvantsev is best known for his exploration of northern Siberia and the Arctic

Spacecraft model, Soviet exhibition, 1927
Spacecraft model from a Soviet exhibition held in 1927. This interplanetary spacecraft model was built by the Baltic German Soviet rocket engineer Friedrich Zander (18871933)

Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers, 1943
Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers, being reloaded by Red Army soldiers in September 1943, during World War II. At this stage in the war

Artem Mikoyan, Soviet aircraft designer
Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan (1905-1970), Soviet aircraft designer. Mikoyan, of Armenian descent, was a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences

Soviet satellite monitoring, 1958
Soviet satellite monitoring. Telescopes being used, in 1958, by Soviet astronomers, to monitor a satellite as it passes overhead

Ilyushin and test pilot Kokkinaki, 1942
Soviet aircraft designer Sergei Ilyushin (centre right) and test pilot Vladimir Kokkinaki (left, in overalls), talking with a group of soldiers in front of an aircraft during World War II

American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), an introduced species native to the Mississippi River Basin, USA, swimming over lake bed, private lake, Moscow region, Russia

Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) males drinking Astrakhan Steppe, Southern Russia

Grey wolf (Canis lupus) with Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) in the background, Astrakhan Steppe, Southern Russia

Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) drinking Astrakhan, Southern Russia, Russia. Critically endangered species. October

Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), albino, resting on lake bed, private lake, Moscow region, Russia

Map of European Russia shewing its Earliest Extent, its Encroachments upon Adjacent Countries
1608462 Map of European Russia shewing its Earliest Extent, its Encroachments upon Adjacent Countries, and the Present Boundary of the Empire (engraving) by Dower

Grey wolf (Canis lupus) Astrakhan Steppe, Southern Russia

Otto Bader, Soviet archaeologist
Otto Bader (lower left, 1903-1979), Soviet archaeologist, making notes at an archaeological dig in the Crimea area of Russia, on the shores of the Black Sea

Tupolev Tu-2, Soviet WW2 bomber
Tupolev Tu-2, Soviet World War II bomber. This bomber was one of the most reliable during World War II. It was built by the aircraft design bureau led by Soviet aviation engineer Andrei Tupolev

Oleg Antonov, Soviet aircraft designer
Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov (1906-1984), Soviet aircraft designer. Antonov founded an aircraft design company in 1946, later named Antonov ASTC in his honour

Russia; St. Petersburg; The High Priest talking to believers during the Russian Orthodox Easter ceremony at Vladimirsky Cathedral

Soviet Almaz space station construction. This is the third-generation Almaz 1v automated space station. The Almaz program was a series of military satellites that were launched as " Salyut"

Soviet GIRD-09 rocket, 1933
Soviet GIRD-09 rocket. This was the first Soviet liquid-propelled rocket. GIRD 09, was launched on 17th August 1933, in the Nakhabino forests, near Moscow, Russia

Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers, 1942
Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers being used in Stalingrad, USSR, in 1942, to attack German positions during World War II. War broke out between Germany and the USSR in June 1941

Chelyuskin steamship, Arkhangelsk, 1933
Chelyuskin steamship leaving Arkhangelsk port in Russia, in 1933. This Soviet exploration ship later got stuck in Arctic ice

Nuclear power station turbine room. This is the engine section of the turbine room. The turbine room is where steam is used to drive turbines to produce electricity

Soviet N-209 transpolar flight, 1937
Soviet N-209 transpolar flight taking off, on 12th August 1937. Earlier in the year, several successful transpolar flights had been made from the USSR to the USA

Barrage balloon over Moscow, 1942
Barrage balloon over Moscow, USSR, in 1942, during World War II. War broke out between Germany and the USSR in June 1941, when Germany invaded the USSR

Soviet N-209 transpolar flight crew, 1937
Soviet N-209 transpolar flight crew, before their fatal flight on 12th August 1937. They flew a modified DB-A aircraft (background) from Moscow over the Arctic towards Alaska

Turbine rotor assembly area
Turbine rotor assembly and balancing area. This is a steam turbine, for use in a power station. The pressure from steam passing through the turbine causes the turbine to rotate

Copper wire manufacturing. Worker coiling copper wire at a copper wire manufacturing factory. Copper wire is used extensively in the electronics and telecommunications industries

Jet aircraft engine production
Jet aircraft engine construction. Engineers assembling a jet aircraft gas turbine engine. Gas turbine engines are a type of jet engine that burns fuel to maintain gas flow through a turbine to keep

Alexei Tupolev, Soviet aircraft designer
Alexei Andreyevich Tupolev (1925-2001), Soviet aircraft designer, holding a model of a Soviet supersonic aircraft. Tupolev, the son of the famous aircraft pioneer Andrei Tupolev

Vladimir Migulin, Soviet physicist
Vladimir Vasilevich Migulin (1911-2002), Soviet physicist. Migulin, who specialised in radio physics, was the director of the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism

Otto Schmidt, Soviet geophysicist
Otto Yulievich Schmidt (1891-1956), Soviet geophysicist and polar explorer. Schmidt is famous for his explorations of the Arctic

Igor Spassky, Russian naval engineer
Igor Dmitrievich Spassky (born 1926), Russian naval engineer, talking at a meeting. Spassky is General Designer and chief of the Rubin Central Design Bureau of Naval Machinery, St Petersburg, Russia

Nikolai Sklifosovsky, Russian surgeon
Nikolai Vasilyevich Sklifosovsky (1836-1904), Russian surgeon. Sklifosovsky, who was also a physiologist and a professor of medicine, worked in Moscow, St Petersburg and Kiev

Sergei Vernov, Soviet physicist
Sergei Nikolaevich Vernov (1910-1982), Soviet physicist. Vernov pioneered cosmic rays experiments in the stratosphere using radio balloons carrying specially designed equipment

Vladimir Veksler, Soviet physicist
Vladimir Iosifovich Veksler (1907-1966), Soviet physicist. Veksler established the principles of modern particle accelerators

Vladimir Petlyakov, aircraft designer
Vladimir Mikhailovich Petlyakov (1891-1942), Soviet aircraft designer. Petlyakov studied under Nikolai Zhukovsky, the founder of modern aerodynamics and hydrodynamics

Genrikh Novozhilov, aircraft designer
Genrikh Novozhilov (born 1925), Soviet aircraft designer. Novozhilov, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was the deputy designer at the Ilyushin aircraft design bureau

Vladimir Kotelnikov, Soviet engineer
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Kotelnikov (1908-2005), Soviet engineer. Kotelnikov, a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, specialized in radio technology and information theory

Nikolay Kamov, Soviet helicopter designer
Nikolay Ilyich Kamov (1902-1973), Soviet helicopter designer. Kamov built his first autogyro in 1929, a breakthrough that led to his later helicopter designs

Alexander Karpinsky, Soviet geologist
Alexander Petrovich Karpinsky (1847-1936), Soviet geologist and mineralogist. Karpinsky completed the first geological map of European Russia. Many geographical features are named in his honour

Elepter Andronikashvili, Soviet physicist
Elepter Luarsabovich Andronikashvili (1910-1989), Soviet physicist, in a laboratory. Andronikashvili, a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences

Mikhail Gromov, Soviet transpolar pilot
Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov (1899-1985), Soviet pilot, wearing aviation clothing for the July 1937 transpolar flight across the North Pole. Gromov was one of three pilots on this pioneering flight

Boris Bunkin, Russian space engineer
Boris Vasilyevich Bunkin (born 1922), Russian space engineer. Bunkin was the general designer of the Almaz Central Design Bureau

Aleksey Bakh, Soviet biochemist
Aleksey Nikolayevich Bakh (1857-1946), Soviet biochemist, in a laboratory. Bakh was the founder of Soviet biochemistry, and became a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1929

Soviet North Pole-1 station crew, 1939
Soviet North Pole-1 station crew members. Seated at left is Ivan Papanin (1894-1986), expedition leader and Arctic explorer. Seated at centre is Ernst Krenkel (1903-1971), radio operator

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European Russia is a land of breathtaking wonders and remarkable achievements. From the icy realms of Champ Island, where a majestic polar bear fearlessly treads upon the glacier above the sea, to the skies filled with Soviet aircraft that have left an indelible mark on history. In 1944, amidst the chaos of war, a brave pilot takes control of a Soviet Pe-2 bomber, soaring through the clouds with unwavering determination. This image symbolizes not only courage but also the ingenuity of Alexander Yakovlev, an exceptional aircraft designer who contributed greatly to aviation advancements. But European Russia's brilliance extends beyond its skies; it delves into its very core. Nikolay Urvantsev, a renowned Soviet geologist, tirelessly explores this vast land in search of hidden treasures buried beneath its surface. His discoveries shape our understanding and pave the way for progress. The spirit of innovation permeates every aspect of life here. In 1927, at a Soviet exhibition showcasing futuristic ideas, a spacecraft model captivates imaginations and ignites dreams that would eventually become reality in later years. During times when conflicts ravaged Europe's lands during World War II in 1943, Soviet Katyusha rocket launchers unleashed their power against enemies while satellites monitored from above in 1958 - exemplifying both military prowess and technological advancement. Ilyushin planes take flight under the skillful command of test pilot Kokkinaki in 1942 – an embodiment of daring exploration pushing boundaries ever further. Meanwhile Artem Mikoyan's visionary designs revolutionize aerial warfare as he leaves his mark on European Russian skies. Not limited to science or technology alone; European Russia has been home to brilliant minds like Lev Landau – one among many distinguished physicists whose contributions continue to shape our understanding today. Yet amidst these human triumphs lies nature's splendor: Saiga antelope males quenching their thirst against the backdrop of Astrakhan Steppe's vastness.