A group of Russian explorers traveled from Russia’s northern coast to Resolute, Canada, by way of the North Pole – all in specialized amphibious vehicles.

The adventure, sponsored by the Russian Geographic Society, was part of the Marine Live-Ice Automobile Expedition, which uses specialized vehicles called Yemelya to cross frozen terrain.

The Marrinsky Theater II, a $700 million, 2,000 seat venue in the heart of St. Petersburg, formally opened Thursday with a gala concert.

After a decade of development, the theater debuted with a concert opened by Valery Gergiev, the highly-regarded artistic director of the theater and recent recipient of one of President Vladimir Putin’s “Heroes of Labor” titles. The performances that followed included many notable Russian talents, including soprano Anne Netrebko and ballerina Diana Vishneva.

In 2014, Russia will not only host the Olympic Games, but motor sports fans will also be able to visit the country for the first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix which will, like the Winter Olympics, take place in Sochi. The 5.9 km track currently under construction will lead around the city’s Olympic Park and offer a stunning view of the brand-new stadiums and arenas which were built for the Winter Games.

A researcher from the Russian Academy of Sciences has won the 2013 Global Energy Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious awards in the area of energy research.

Just as spring is beginning in Moscow, Olympics organizers down in Sochi are storing 450,000 cubic meters – 16 million cubic feet -- of snow in preparation for the 2014 games.

Sochi, a city in southern Russia that borders the Black Sea, is on track to host the Winter Olympics from February 7 to 23 of next year. The region has received an estimated $50 billion in development funds over the last few years in preparation for the games. One thing that can’t be controlled, however, is the weather.