Anton Cherenkov

The figure of Emperor Peter the Great, as well as the era of his formation and reign, still excites the minds of people all over the world. The creators answer the questions of how to take the throne when you are the fourteenth child in the family; how to win access to the sea when there is no professional army and navy in the country; how to bring a country that no one considered before into world leaders in a few decades, and many others.

The era of palace coups in Russia ended with the coronation of a prominent historical figure: Catherine the Great. She could have settled for the role of Emperor’s wife, but her persistence and determination eventually proved that her rightful place was on the throne. She was still a child when she learned that she was to marry Peter III and produce an heir. Catherine, however, wanted to rule Russia herself. She saw the potential of the Russian Empire, and she wanted to implement the ideas of the Enlightenment. Will Russia experience a renaissance of culture and sciences under Catherine? Will her ideas eventually play to her detriment?

Catherine II always knew that her successor would not be her son Pavel, but her beloved grandson Aleksandr. From his earliest years, he was brought up as a future ruler - in strict discipline and with a brilliant education. Having finally become emperor, Aleksandr intended to continue the reforms of his predecessors - to abolish serfdom and introduce a constitution. But at the beginning of the 19th century, a war broke out between two great empires - France and Russia. Aleksandr had to go through a thorny path from brilliant reforms to the Patriotic War.

Little Elizabeth thought her future was predestined: she was to marry Louis XV and become the Queen of France – that was the promise given to her by her father, Emperor of Russia Peter the Great. When Peter dies in 1725 without naming a successor, an era of palace coups and power struggles begins in Russia. For some tumultuous years it remains to be seen whether the young Russian Empire and its new capital St. Petersburg would stand, and what future lies in store for the country of Russia. Peter's widow, Catherine I, becomes Empress - the first woman to rule Imperial Russia. She wishes to fulfil the promise her late husband had given to their daughter, but fails. Young Louis XV refuses to marry Elizabeth after learning that she was born before her parents were officially married. That, in his eyes, made her illegitimate.

In November 2017 in Volgograd, the BK-31 armored boat was raised from the bottom of the river. According to historical data, from July 1942 until the month of October, the ship took an active part in the Battle of Stalingrad. Built at the special request of the NKVD "BK-31" at that time was a ship unique to the river fleet. After getting up on board, artifacts, the remains of the team, various weapons and a huge amount of ammunition were discovered on it, the latter indirectly confirms the historians' version of the “special” tasks that the navy had to carry out.