Main facts about Russia

Official Name:
Russian Federation | Российская Федерация

Capital:
Moscow

Politics of Russia:
The politics of Russia take place in the framework of the federal semi-presidential republic of Russia. According to the Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power exercised by the government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President with the parliament's approval. Legislative power is vested in the two houses of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, while the President and the government issue numerous legally binding by-laws.

The Flag: 
The flag of Russia (Russian: Флаг России, romanized: Flag Rossii), also known as the State Flag of the Russian Federation (Russian: Государственный флаг Российской Федерации, romanized: Gosudarstvennyy flag Rossiyskoy Federatsii), is a tricolour flag consisting of three equal horizontal fields: white on the top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom. The flag was first used as an ensign for Russian merchant ships in 1696.

The Coat of Arms:
The coat of arms of Russia derives from the earlier coat of arms of the Russian Empire which was abolished with the Russian Revolution in 1917. Though modified more than once since the reign of Ivan III (1462–1505), the current coat of arms is directly derived from its medieval original, with the double-headed eagle having Byzantine and earlier antecedents. The general tincture corresponds to the early fifteenth-century standard.

The Anthem:
The "State Anthem of the Russian Federation" is the name of the national anthem of Russia. It uses the same melody as the "State Anthem of the Soviet Union", composed by Alexander Alexandrov, and new lyrics by Sergey Mikhalkov, who had collaborated with Gabriel El-Registan on the original anthem. From 1944, that earliest version replaced "The Internationale", as a new, more Soviet-centric, and Russia-centric Soviet anthem. The same melody, but without any lyrics, was used after 1956. A second version of the lyrics was written by Mikhalkov in 1970 and adopted in 1977, placing less emphasis on World War II and more on the victory of communism, and without mentioning the denounced Stalin by name.

The Constitution:
The Constitution of the Russian Federation (Russian: Конститу́ция Росси́йской Федера́ции) was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993. Russia's constitution came into force on 25 December 1993, at the moment of its official publication, and abolished the Soviet system of government. The current Constitution is the second most long-lived in the history of Russia, behind the Constitution of 1936.

Read more about the general information about Russia HERE

Media:
Russia is diverse, with a wide range of broadcast and print outlets available to the consumers.[1] Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, subscription, and other sales-related revenues.

Even though the Constitution of Russia guarantees freedom of speech the country is plagued by both government and self-censorship. As a country in transition, Russia's media system is under transformation. There are more than 83,000 active and officially registered media outlets in Russia that broadcast information in 102 languages.

Read more about the Media and Censorship in Russia HERE