In the 1990s, a Russian mafia and Italian mafia organization participated in a literal money-laundering scheme, washing and bleaching the ink out of US$1 bills and reprinting them as $100s, for use in the post-Soviet bloc countries, where the bills might avoid detection as counterfeits.
Russia
1,418 entrance steps (one for each day…
1,418 entrance steps (one for each day the Soviet Union fought in the WWII) of the new 95m-tall “Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces” are forged from melted-down hardware seized from Nazi troops.
The unofficial Russian book….
The unofficial Russian book “The Last Ringbearer” describes The Lord of the Rings trilogy from Sauron’s point of view and portrays Mordor as the good guys.
The Russian Standard Bank was…
The Russian Standard Bank was founded by entrepreneur Roustam Tariko in the 90s to circumvent the advertisement ban of alcohol in Russia and promote his Vodka, the Russian Standard. Today, it is the largest consumer bank in Russia and Tariko is one of the most successful bankers in Europe.
Nicholas II, last Tzar of Russia…
Nicholas II, last Tzar of Russia, had a Japanese tattoo of a “dragon with a black body, yellow horns, a red belly and green paws.” He got it on a trip to Japan. Later he was attacked by “Sanzo, a former samurai who fought in the Satsuma Rebellion.” All this before the Russo-Japanese War.
The Russian Orthodox Church regularly…
The Russian Orthodox Church regularly blesses Russian Military Hardware, but has decided that it is inappropriate to bless weapons of mass destruction.
“Down with handshakes!”
Soviet Russia had an anti-handshake campaign in the 1920s to fight infectious diseases. “Down with handshakes!” antique pins released by a Russian anti-handshake society can still be found.
In his youth, the Russian Tsar Peter…
In his youth, the Russian Tsar Peter the Great traveled around Western Europe. He worked incognito as a shipbuilder in the Dutch Republic; went binge drinking in England (trashed the house he was renting) and kept an English mistress. His journey ended when the English king asked him to leave.
Abram Petrovich Gannibal was an African child kidnapped…
Abram Petrovich Gannibal was an African child kidnapped to Russia as a gift for Peter the Great. The tsar freed him and raised him as his godson. Gannibal became a Major-General and the Governor of Reval. He is the great-grandfather of Alexander Pushkin, considered the greatest Russian poet.
Nadezhda Durova (1783-1866)…
Nadezhda Durova (1783-1866), daughter of a Russian Army Officer, disguised herself as a man, serving in a Cavalry Regiment during the Napoleonic Wars. She was the first recorded Female Officer in the Russian army, and was awarded the Cross of St George for bravery under fire.