Noun | 1. | ![]() CIS, Commonwealth of Independent States - an alliance made up of states that had been Soviet Socialist Republics in the Soviet Union prior to its dissolution in Dec 1991 Foreign Intelligence Service, Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki, SVR - Russia's intelligence service responsible for foreign operations, intelligence-gathering and analysis, and the exchange of intelligence information; collaborates with other countries to oppose proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and organized crime Karelia - a region in Finland and Russia between the Gulf of Finland and the White Sea capital of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian capital - a city of central European Russia; formerly capital of both the Soviet Union and Soviet Russia; since 1991 the capital of the Russian Federation Astrakhan - a city in southwestern Russia on the delta of the Volga River Cherepovets - a city of east central Russia to the north of Moscow Chechen Republic, Chechenia, Chechnya - an autonomous republic in southwestern Russia in the northern Caucasus Mountains bordering on Georgia; declared independence from the USSR in 1991 but Russian troops invaded and continue to prosecute a relentless military campaign in the largely Muslim republic Kaluga - a city of central Russia to the south of Moscow Khabarovsk - an administrative territory in Russia on the eastern coast of Siberia Kursk - a city of southwestern Russia Siberia - a vast Asian region of Russia; famous for long cold winters European Russia - the part of Russia that is part of Europe Gorkiy, Nizhni Novgorod, Nizhnyi Novgorod, Gorky, Gorki - an industrial city in the European part of Russia; birthplace of Maksim Gorky Kazan - an industrial city in the European part of Russia Leningrad, Peterburg, Petrograd, Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg - a city in the European part of Russia; 2nd largest Russian city; located at the head of the Gulf of Finland; former capital of Russia Murmansk - a port city in northwestern Russia on the Kola Peninsula; the largest city to the north of the Arctic Circle; an important supply line to Russia in World War I and World War II Nalchik - a city in southwestern Russia in a valley of the Caucasus Mountains; an industrial center and health resort Novgorod - a city in northwestern Russia on the Volkhov River; Russia's oldest city and an important trading center in the Middle Ages Rostov, Rostov na Donu, Rostov on Don - a seaport on the Don River near the Sea of Azov in the European part of Russia Saratov - an industrial city in the European part of Russia Smolensk - a city in western Russia on the Dnieper River; scene of severe fighting in World War II Ufa - a city in the European part of Russia Stalingrad, Tsaritsyn, Volgograd - a city in the European part of Russia on the Volga; site of German defeat in World War II in the winter of 1942-43 Novosibirsk - a city in the Asian part of Russia on the Ob river; largest city in Siberia Chelyabinsk - a city in the Asian part of Russia Omsk - a city in the Asian part of Russia Vladivostok - a seaport in the Asian part of Russia Nova Zembla, Novaya Zemlya - two islands in the Arctic Ocean belonging to Russia; site of a test center for nuclear warheads Kola Peninsula - a peninsula in northwestern Russia projecting eastward between the Barents Sea and the White Sea Amur, Amur River, Heilong, Heilong Jiang - an Asian river between China and Russia; flows into the Sea of Okhotsk Dnieper, Dnieper River - a river that rises in Russia near Smolensk and flowing south through Belarus and Ukraine to empty into the Black Sea Eurasia - the land mass formed by the continents of Europe and Asia Ilmen, Lake Ilmen - a lake in northwestern Russia; drains through the Volkhov River into Lake Ladoga Ladoga, Lake Ladoga - a lake in northwestern Russia to the north of St. Petersburg; the largest lake in Europe; drains through the Neva River into the Gulf of Finland Lake Onega, Onega - lake in northwestern Russia near the border with Finland; second largest lake in Europe Neva, Neva River - a river in northwestern Russia flowing generally west into the Gulf of Finland |