Did you know there are several Russian cities with the same names?

1. Sovetsk

Sovetsk in Kaliningrad Region is the second most populous city in the area. It is located at the confluence of the Tylzhi and Neman rivers and borders Lithuania.

Sovetsk in Kirov Region is a small Ural town that is located at the crossroads of the Pizhma and Vyatka rivers.

2. Blagoveshchensk

Blagoveshchensk in Amur Region stands opposite the Chinese city of Heihe along the Amur River, which can be seen right from the embankment. Blagoveshchensk is one of the final stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Bashkiria also has its own Blagoveshchensk. It is an industrial city, which was formed in the middle of the 18th century around a copper smelting plant. It is located not far from Ufa, the capital of the region.

3. Kirovsk

There are towns named after the revolutionary Sergei Kirov in Murmansk and Leningrad regions. In Murmansk Region, Kirovsk is located at the foot of the Khibiny mountain range above the Arctic Circle. It is one of the country's most popular ski resorts.

Kirovsk in Leningrad Region is a satellite city of St. Petersburg. It is home to a memorial dedicated to the defense of Leningrad in World War II.

4. Primorsk

In the small town of Primorsk in Leningrad Region, the St. Mary Magdalene Church, a former Lutheran church from the early 20th century, has been preserved.

Kaliningrad Region also has its own Primorsk (which literally means “by the sea”), one of the smallest towns in Russia, but, nevertheless, with many beautiful houses and streets.

5. Krasnoslobodsk

The name of this city is formed from the words ‘krasnaya’ (‘red’, but which also meant ‘beautiful’ in Old Russian) and ‘sloboda’ (‘settlement’). That is, a beautiful free settlement. It’s surprising there are only two in Russia. One in Mordovia, known since the middle of the 16th century (and, until 1780, it was called Krasnaya Sloboda).

And, the second is near Volgograd. It is its satellite town situated on the other side of the Volga River. Founded in 1870, it, too, was originally called Krasnaya Sloboda. 

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