FOUND: 2 | Mind Blowing Facts

In 1980, the Soviet Union dammed a Caspian Lagoon to save water; it nearly vanished within three years, and salt-laden dust storms followed

A Soviet dam built in 1980 blocked water flow to the Zaliv Kara-Bogaz-Gol lagoon. This action caused the shallow lagoon to dry up rapidly due to evaporation. The exposed salt and sediment created dust storms affecting the surrounding region. The dam's construction also destroyed vital sturgeon spawning grounds and habitats.…

The Times of India · Jul 29

Why the US-China Moon race could turn into a lunar land grab

Sixty years ago, the United States and the Soviet Union were embroiled in a race to the Moon, which the USA won. The 21st-century lunar contest, with China stepping in for the Soviet Union, has many similarities, but key differences.

The Conversation · Jul 13

After a devastating famine, the Soviet Union planted 5,320 km of giant tree belts in 1948, hoping to transform the climate itself. Still, the world's largest forest-engineering experiment was largely abandoned after Stalin's death

The Soviet Union launched a grand plan to alter its climate and prevent famine. Millions of trees were planted across vast regions to combat drought and soil erosion. This ambitious environmental experiment aimed to engineer landscapes on a continental scale. However, political shifts and practical challenges led to its eventual…

The Times of India · Jul 9

Russia's fuel crisis is so bad that a mom and her baby waited in line for 18 hours to get gas — 'Are we in the Soviet Union?'

Energy analysts have estimated that 25% or more of Russia’s oil refining capacity has been taken offline by Ukraine's drone attacks.

Fortune · Jul 4

Ukraine war sparks fears of an organised crime resurgence in Russia

Following the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, Russia endured a period of violent criminal lawlessness known as the “wild 90s”. Organised crime spiked, with gangs taking control of banks, factories and other lucrative markets. Contract killings, shootings and car bombings became part of urban life.

The Conversation · Jul 3

My Grandfather's Account of the Early Days of Germany's Attack on the Soviet Union in World War II

Today is the 85th anniversary of that momentous event.

Reason · Jun 22

The end of the NBA’s American empire: how the 1986 draft changed basketball for ever

European players had long been dismissed as a risk by NBA teams. But two picks by the Portland Trail Blazers helped usher in the league’s international era

The Guardian - US · Jun 22

On This Day in History, June 22: Fast & Furious release, France surrenders, Germany invades Soviet Union, Napoleon abdicates, Galileo recants, Maradona's Hand of God, G.I. Bill signed and other events

On This Day in History, June 22 witnessed Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, Napoleon's second abdication, Galileo's recantation before the Inquisition and the signing of the G.I. Bill by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The date is also remembered for Diego Maradona's famous "Hand of God" goal, France's surrender to Nazi…

The Economic Times · Jun 21

The man who lived through the fall of the Soviet Union and helped wealthy Chinese move to Canada sees a familiar picture in America

Nuri Katz has spent 34 years moving the world’s ultrarich from one country to another, and now Americans top the list: “I’ve never seen that before.”

Fortune · Jun 17

'Ponies' merges comedy with a gritty spy story in TV dramedy

The Peacock series “Ponies” starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson blends comedy and drama as widows of CIA operatives become intelligence assets in the 1970s Soviet Union

The Independent UK · Jun 15