What astonishing truths are there about Russia?

 Let us share with you some little-known facts about Russia.

A total of 1.60 secret cities are off-limits to foreigners.

Many people are still in disbelief when they find that there are still many secret cities in the Russian Federation, despite the fact that it is commonly known that Russia was extremely closed off during the Soviet era. Even if they wish their family to visit, residents of certain cities must obtain special permission. The secret cities of Russia are still completely off limits to foreign travellers.

The vast majority of extinct cities still in existence are associated with nuclear and military research facilities. The country's easternmost peninsula, Kamchatka, is where nuclear submarine manufacturing takes place in Vilyuchinsk. Russia's production centre is Zheleznogorsk, which is located in central Siberia.  Sarov is the principal nuclear research facility in Russia. The Czar Bomb, the most potent nuclear weapon ever created, is said to be kept in the walled city.

In addition to these well-known secret cities, there are still many more that the general public is utterly unaware of and that, in order to protect their confidentiality, are not even shown on maps. Of course, visitors aren't typically searching for these cities, but it can raise questions about the residual mysteries of the largest nation in the world.

2. Russians are short-lived

According to studies, one in four Russian males will pass away before turning 55. Russians might want to start considering the consequences of heavy drinking. Considering this startling fact۔Russians may expect to live to just 64 years on average, ranking the nation among the top 50 in the world for life expectancy.

It seems that Russia's propensity for heavy alcohol is shortening men's lives. 20 litres of vodka are consumed annually by the typical adult Russian. Alcohol continues to be the third greatest cause of preventable death in Russia, despite the fact that the number of alcohol-related fatalities has decreased since the 1990s.

But there are other factors at play as well that contribute to shorter life spans. Specifically, 65 percent of deaths in Russia are attributed to cardiovascular disease and stroke.The fact that Russians smoke a lot and are generally concerned about their personal health may also play a role.

3. Pancakes topped with sour cream and caviar

Russians will soon experience the fluffy, toasty, syrup-drenched pancakes that Americans only dream about. You can get a typical Russian pancake, or crepe as it is often known, if you order pancakes there. Traditional pancakes are accompanied by salty caviar and sour cream. not even close to the quality of your work at home. It is also extremely thin, similar to a French crepe.

The food is thought to have originated from an unintentional stir-fry that an exhausted traveller made while making porridge. The traditional pancake was created with focus. They eventually became a mainstay.

Even stranger, whistles are frowned upon in public by Russians. You'll find yourself in trouble financially if you do that.

5. The third-largest billionaire population in the world

Many billionaires who once called Russia home were subject to Moscow. Moscow sits at the top of the list, home to 84 billionaires. It appears that some are searching for better prospects elsewhere. It is currently only somewhat behind Hong Kong and New York City. Despite this, there are still 71 billionaires living in Moscow.

They were valued a total of $421 billion in just 2019 alone. According to their estimates, the richest 10% of Russians own 89 percent of the country's wealthiest citizens. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, is a member of a small minority that controls not only the wealth but also the covert nation's politics.

6. Men outnumber women by a large margin.

There are 11 million more women than men in Russia. For more than a century, this has been the situation. The number of people was thought to have significantly decreased during the Second World War, which lost the lives of 25 million combatants. But in current times, the trend has gotten worse because of the high rates of tobacco and alcohol misuse in the former Soviet Union nations. The region has more men than women due to the region's low life expectancy as a result of drug and alcohol usage.

7. Being gay can result in arrest and torture in Russia

Putin started to restrict the gay community's capacity to express itself in 2013. In addition to stating that same-sex partnerships are socially inappropriate and are even criminal under Russian law, the Russian government has implemented a ban on "gay propaganda." The ban stunned the homosexual community in Russia and across the globe.

What most people do not learn from the media is that Russian authorities are imprisoning or, worse yet, putting LGBT individuals in work camps. When the identities of other potential homosexuals were exposed, the jailed and tortured gays claimed they had been electrocuted and beaten.

However, no one seemed to notice these horrible crimes. Militants have been assisting residents in leaving the area ever since the persecution started. The OSCE also referred to the persecution as a grave breach of human rights and said it was taking steps to prevent it from continuing.

8. Over a million people have HIV infection

Surprisingly many people in Russia are living with HIV and AIDS for a sophisticated nation. Recently, 1.2 million people in the nation were diagnosed with HIV. Surprisingly, the numbers have gotten out of hand. In Russia, the number of affected people is increasing by 10% to 15% year. That indicates that more than 250 people contract the disease daily.

According to the study, the figure results from the widespread usage of injectable medications in the nation. 2.3% of the population, or 1.8 million people, take injectable medications. The majority of other illnesses are spread through sexual activity. New infections are spread by partners of the opposite sex around 49% of the time. It is obvious that sex workers and partners of drug users are more likely to catch the virus.

According to estimates, 500,000 Russians may be HIV positive yet are completely unaware of it. Lack of access to testing was the main excuse they provided for not testing themselves. His government had recognised the HIV epidemic there and was acting to increase sex education and resource utilisation in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.

9. Is it possible for a dog to ride the subway?

Moscow's subway canines are well known. Yes, they are capable of operating a subway system without assistance. In order to find food and other goods, the animals have worked out how to board and dismount vehicles. More than 35,000 stray dogs live in the city, but only a select handful of the more intelligent ones have discovered and mastered this form of transit to survive.

They estimate that 20 of these sophisticated dogs use their sense of smell to lead them each day. These dogs appear to have acquired the ability to identify and react to human signals. The dogs also got encouragement and consideration from people on the metro. They also developed the ability to differentiate between stations based on smell and learned which stops were connected to food distribution.