Geert Groot Koerkamp

Every year, thousands of enthusiasts get together to re-enact the battle of Borodino which took place on September 7, 1812, on the former battlefield near Borodino, 100 km West of Moscow, Russia. The battle of Borodino left Napoleon's French armies victorious, allowing them to continue their march towards Moscow and briefly occupy the city, before being forced to retreat from Russia.

On the 1st of September, 2004 a group of heavily armed terrorists entered the premises of school No. 1 in Beslan, in Russia's North Caucasus republic of North Ossetia. The terrorists demanded a pull-out of Russian forces from the nearby republic of Chechnya. Over a thousand school children, teachers, relatives and friends were taken hostage in the school. Hundreds of hostages, including 186 children, died when Russian forces stormed the school on the 3rd of September. Altogether 334 people were killed during the three days of the hostage drama.

Access to a large area surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukraine, is restricted, and permanent residence in the area is formally prohibited. Still, following the 1986 disaster at the plant, many elderly people have chosen to return to their homes.

The Free Theatre of Belarus enjoys world-wide fame, but in its home country it has been forced to go underground, giving secret performances in private homes. More than once, both actors and public have been arrested. Following the crackdown of a mass protest against election fraud in December 2010, the theatre's directors were forced to flee the country.

In recent years, numerous court cases in Russia have made headlines all over the world, including those against former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the punk band Pussy Riot. Many of these trials are seen as political by human rights groups and the international community.

Each year on the 30th of October, the millions of victims of political terror in the USSR are remembered near a monument opposite the headquarters of the Soviet and Russian secret services.

Each year on the 4th of November Russian nationalist groups hold their 'Russian March'. Participants include moderate nationalists as well as openly neo-fascist and racist groups.

In October 2011, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte visited Russia, accompanied by a large delegation of business representatives. In Moscow Rutte met with president Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin, as well as with prime minister Vladimir Putin in his residence outside the Russian capital.

Formed in 2005, the Dutch music group The Toppers represented The Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Moscow in 2009. With their song 'Shine' they did not manage to reach the final.

Victory Day is one of the main holidays in Russia. On the 9th of May Russians celebrate the victory over Hitler germany in 1945. Usually there is a military parade in Red Square, but in Moscow the main events take place elsewhere, on the city's squares, where young and old Russians meet and congratulate the ever fewer remaining war veterans.