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                  Soviet Union
                  Russians
                  Russians have been the largest and most dominant nationality in both the Soviet Union and its predecessors,
                  the Russian Empire and Muscovy. From the time of Muscovy's rise as the dominant principality in the northeast of the territory
                  of Kievan Rus', a Russian state continually extended its territory and enabled Ivan III (1462-1505) to proclaim himself "Ruler
                  of all Rus'." Peter the Great (1682-1725) established the Russian Empire, which during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
                  reached the Baltic Sea in the northwest and the Black Sea in the southwest, the Pacific Ocean in the east, and the Pamirs
                  in the south (see fig. 3). The Romanov Dynasty, which promoted Russian administrative control over the disparate nationalities
                  in its domain, ruled for three centuries until it was overthrown in February 1917 (according to the Julian calendar; March
                  1917 according to the Gregorian calendar). After the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks in October 1917 (November 1917), Russian
                  domination of political, economic, and cultural life in the Soviet Union continued despite the rule of Joseph V. Stalin, who
                  was Georgian by birth. Yet throughout their history, Russians themselves were subjected to oppressive rulers, whether tsarist
                  or communist. Particularly devastating since the advent of communist rule in November 1917 were the Civil War (1918-21), forced
                  collectivization and industrialization, the  Great Terror, and World War II, each of which resulted in extreme hardship
                  and loss of great numbers of Russian people. 
                   According to the 1989 census, some 145 million Russians constituted just over half of the population
                  of the Soviet Union, although their share of the total has been declining steadily. A low fertility rate among the Russians
                  and a considerably higher fertility rate among the peoples of Soviet Central Asia may make Russians a minority nationality
                  by the year 2000. 
                   Most Russians lived in the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (Russian Republic), an immense
                  area occupying threefourths of the Soviet Union and stretching from Eastern Europe across the Ural Mountains and Siberia to
                  the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Pacific Ocean. Many other nationalities lived in the Russian Republic. Sixteen of the twenty
                  autonomous republics were located here, as well as five of the eight autonomous oblasts and all ten of the autonomous okruga.
                  But Russians also constituted substantial minorities in the populations of most non-Russian union republics in the Soviet
                  Union. Only a small percentage of Russians claimed fluency in the languages of the non-Russian republics in which they resided.
                  
                   In the late 1980s, Russians were the second most urban nationality in the Soviet Union (only Jews were
                  proportionally more urbanized). Russians constituted about two-thirds of the entire urban population of the Soviet Union;
                  all major cities in the Soviet Union had a large Russian population. In addition, Moscow, the largest city and capital of
                  the Soviet Union, served as the administrative center for the Russian Republic. The domination by Russians has been evident
                  in almost every phase of Soviet life and has increased in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1972, 62.5 percent of the members of the
                  Politburo, the highest organ of the CPSU, were Russians. In 1986 the percentage of Russians rose to 84.6 and then to 89 in
                  1989. Generally, Russians were the party second secretaries and the chiefs of the Committee for State Security (Komitet gosudarstvennoi
                  bezopasnosti--KGB) in non-Russian republics. Russians also constituted a majority of CPSU membership, amounting to about 61
                  percent in the 1980s. Only Jews and Georgians have also had representation in the party that was higher than their proportion
                  of the population. Russian dominance of the CPSU has also helped them dominate Soviet society. 
                   Russians held a high percentage of the most important positions in government, industry, agriculture,
                  education, science, and the arts, especially in the non-Russian republics. The number of Russians attending higher education
                  institutions also was disproportionate to their share of the population. Only Jews, Armenians, and Georgians had a proportionally
                  higher number of students at these institutions. 
                   Russian language and culture has had special status throughout the Soviet Union. The Russian language
                  has been the common language in government organizations as well as in most economic, social, and cultural institutions. Higher
                  education in many fields has been provided almost exclusively in Russian, and mastery of that language has been an important
                  criterion for admission to institutions of higher learning. Administrative and supervisory posts in non-Russian republics
                  were often held by Russians having little knowledge of the native language. In 1986 Russian was the language used to publish
                  78 percent of the books by number of titles and 86 percent of the books by number of copies. The publication of magazines
                  and newspapers printed in Russian and in the other indigenous languages has been equally disproportionate. 
                   The homeland of about 119.8 million Russians and over 27 million non-Russian nationalities, the Russian
                  Republic also provided substantial industrial, agricultural, and natural resources to the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, in 1989
                  the Russian Republic, alone among the fifteen union republics, had party apparatus separate from that of the CPSU. The functions
                  performed in non-Russian republics by republic-level CPSU organizations were performed for the Russian Republic by the central
                  agencies of the CPSU.   
                
                 
                    
                    
                    
                    
                    
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
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                   15:04 2002-10-05 
                  Sensation:
                  Cities Found on the Moon! 
                   Reasonable
                  activity of an alien civilization showed up unexpectedly close to us. However, we were not psychologically ready for it 
  We still come across publications trying to find an answer to the following
                  question: Are we alone in the universe? At the same time, the presence of reasoning beings has been detected close to our
                  home, on the Moon. However, this discovery was immediately classified as secret, as it is so incredible that it even might
                  shake the already existing social principles, reports Russia's newspaper Vecherny Volgograd. 
  Here is
                  an extract from the official press-release: NASA scientists and engineers participating in exploration of Mars and the Moon
                  reported the results of their discoveries at a briefing at the Washington National Press Club on March 21, 1996. It was announced
                  for the first time that man-made structures and objects have been discovered on the Moon. The scientists spoke rather cautiously
                  and evasively about these objects, with the exception of an UFO. They always mentioned that the man-made objects are possible,
                  and stated the information was still under study and official results will be published later. 
  It was mentioned at
                  the briefing as well that the Soviet Union used to own some photo materials proving the presence of such activity on the Moon.
                  And, although it wasnt identified what kind of activity it was, thousands of photo- and video materials from the Apollos and
                  the Clementine space station showed many parts on the lunar surface where this activity and its traces were perfectly evident.
                  The video films and photos made by US astronauts during the Apollo program were demonstrated at the briefing. People were
                  extremely surprised why the materials hadnt been presented to the public earlier. NASA specialists answered: It was difficult
                  to forecast the reaction of people to information that some creatures had been or still are on the Moon. In addition, there
                  were some other reasons to it, which were beyond the control of NASA. 
  Specialist for lunar studies Richard Hoagland
                  says that NASA is still trying to alter photo materials before they are published in public catalogues and files. They do
                  some retouching or are partially refocussing them while copying. Some investigators, Hoagland is among them, suppose that
                  an extraterrestrial race had used the Moon as a terminal station during their activity on the Earth. These suggestions are
                  confirmed by the legends and myths of different nations of our planet. 
  The ruins of lunar cities stretch for many
                  kilometers. Huge domes on massive basements, numerous tunnels, and other constructions cause scientists to reconsider their
                  opinions concerning the Moon. How the Moon appeared and principles of its revolving around the Earth still pose a great problem
                  for scientists. 
  Some partially destroyed objects on the lunar surface cant be placed among natural geological formations,
                  as they are of complex organization and geometrical structure. In the upper part of Rima hadley, not far from the place where
                  the Apollo-15 had landed, a construction surrounded by a tall D-shaped wall was discovered. As of now, different artifacts
                  have been discovered in 44 regions. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Houston Planetary Institute are investigating
                  the regions. Mysterious terrace-shaped excavations of rock have been discovered near the Tiho crater. The concentric hexahedral
                  excavations and the tunnel entry on the terrace side cant be the results of natural geological processes; instead, they look
                  very much like open cast mines. A transparent dome raised above the crater edge was discovered near the crater Copernicus.
                  The dome is unusual, as it is glows white and blue from the inside. A rather unusual object, which is unusual indeed even
                  for the Moon, was discovered in the upper part of the Factory area. A disk of about 50 meters in diameter stands on a square
                  basement surrounded with walls. In the picture, close to the rhomb, we can also see a dark, round embrasure in the ground,
                  which resembles an entry to an underground caponier. There is a rectangular area between factory and the crater Copernicus,
                  which is 300 meters wide 400 meters long. 
  Apollo-10 astronauts took a photo (AS10-32-4822) of a one-mile long object
                  called "Castle," which is at the height of 14 kilometers and casts a distinct shadow on the lunar surface. The object seems
                  to consist of several cylindrical units and a large conjunctive unit. The internal porous structure of the Castle is clearly
                  seen in one of the pictures, which gives the impression that some parts of the object are transparent. 
  As it turned
                  out at the briefing where many NASA scientists were present, when Richard Hoagland had requested originals of the Castle pictures
                  for the second time, no pictures were found at all. They disappeared even from the list of pictures made by the Apollo-10
                  crew. Only intermediate pictures of the object were found in the archives, which unfortunately dont depict the internal structure
                  of the object. 
  When the Apollo-12 crew landed on the lunar surface, they saw that the landing was observed by a half-transparent,
                  pyramidal object. It was hovering just several meters above the lunar surface and shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow
                  against the black sky. 
  In 1969, when the film about astronauts travelling to the Sea of Storms was demonstrated (the
                  astronauts saw the strange objects once again, which were later called striped glasses), NASA finally understood what consequences
                  such kind of control could bring. Astronaut Mitchell answered the question about his feelings after his successful return:
                  My neck still aches as I had to constantly turn my head around, because we felt we were not alone there. We had no choice
                  but to pray. Johnston, who worked at the Houston Space Center and studied photos and video materials made during the Apollo
                  program, discussed the artifacts with Richard Hoagland and said that the NASA leadership was awfully annoyed with the great
                  number of anomalous, to put it mildly, objects on the Moon. It was even said that piloted flights to the Moon might be banned.
                  
  Investigators are especially interested in ancient structures resembling partially destroyed cities. Photos reveal
                  an astonishingly regular geometry of square and rectangular constructions. They resemble our cities seen from the height of
                  5-8 kilometers. A mission control specialist commented on the pictures: Our guys observed ruins of the Lunar cities, transparent
                  pyramids, domes, and God knows what else, which are currently hidden deep inside the NASA safes, and felt like Robinson Crusoe
                  when he suddenly came across prints of bare feet on the sand of the desert island. What do geologists and scientists say after
                  studying the pictures of lunar cities and other anomalous objects? They say that such objects cant be natural formations.
                  We should admit they are artificial, especially the domes and pyramids. Reasonable activity of an alien civilization showed
                  up unexpectedly close to us. We were not ready for it psychologically, and some people hardly believe they are true even now.
                  
  Translated by Maria Gousseva 
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                  | Pravda.RU:Top Stories:More in detail | 
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                    12:22 2003-01-30 
                  CIA Concealed Noahs Ark! There
                  is a mountain covered with eternal snows in Easter Turkey, not far from the borders between Iran and Armenia. The mountain
                  is 5156 meters above the sea level, which is actually not very high as compared with Tibets mountains that are eight thousand
                  meters high. However, it has been the most famous mountain of the planet for several thousand years already. It is Ararat.
                  
  Recently, the CIA declassified documents concerning probable remains of Noahs Ark on Ararat mountain in Turkey. Researchers
                  immediately rushed to study the materials on this problem. 
  It has been rumored long ago that starting with the end
                  of the 1940s, the CIA has been collecting documentary evidence about an object hidden in an ice grave in Ararats slope. 
  Researchers
                  of Noahs Ark said that the CIA archives contained numerous classified photo and filmed documents. Some mysterious sources
                  reported that a secret expedition was organized to Turkey by the US Government. They said that Noahs Ark was found and secretly
                  delivered to the territory of some US military base.  Do you think it is impossible? Goodness knows. Former CIA officer
                  Dino Brugioni asserts that he saw with his own eyes several pictures in which three huge curved beams could be perfectly seen.
                  
  There is no doubt that if the CIA actually happened to discover remains of the ancient huge vessel, this certainly
                  would be the most important scientific and archeological discovery of the century. However, it is not clear yet whether the
                  Agency is going to declassify the exhibits after declassification of documents on this problem, or there are no exhibits in
                  fact. 
  Tsirah Corporation 
  The first of the notorious declassified materials dates back to 1992; it is a letter
                  from Charles P. Aaron addressed to the CIA with a request for assistance. The man named his position as an expert and leader
                  of the searching operation for the legendary Noahs Ark carried out by the Tsirah Corporation. The operation lasted for several
                  years, it was supported by the late astronaut James Irvin, several American senators and congressmen. 
  Aaron believed
                  that the Agency had some technical mechanism that could see through the ice mass several meters thick. That is why the man
                  asked the CIA to let him use the mechanism in the operation searching Noahs Ark. 
  A response given to the request said
                  that when pictures of Ararat were studied, no ark could be distinctly identified. Does it mean that the CIA has not considerable
                  evidence proving existence of Noahs Ark? When it comes to the CIA, nothing can be declared for sure. 
  The response
                  given to the Tsirah Corporation is dated with January 21, 1993. The same date is on another interesting document, a request
                  to declassify the picture of Noahs Ark for a TV program, the Agency said no as well. 
  A question arises: is it possible
                  to refuse to declassify the thing that was earlier declared as non-existent in the reply to the Tsirah Corporation? 
  Despite
                  the fact that the CIA archives were said to be containing no pictures of Noahs Ark, discussions concerning these images still
                  continued. Deputy director of the CIA science and technology department said in his report of February 7, 1994 that he had
                  got copies of pictures of the ark found on Ararat mountain, but the department failed to identify Noahs Ark in these pictures.
                  The report was concluded with a very interesting phrase: At present, no attempts are made to organize additional researches
                  in the region of Ararat mountain. 
  If it was declared that no additional researches were held, it means that some main
                  researches had been held earlier. 
  In a reply to the request, the CIA direction reported on February 16: We doubt that
                  even the most careful study of pictures of Ararat mountain will provide some convincing result. In order to make an exhaustive
                  analysis, all kinds of pictures and images made with different technical facilities within the past 30 years must be collected.
                  We have pictures of the Ararat mountain territory made within the past 18 months; it may take from 4 to 6 weeks to obtain
                  other pictures from the archives. When all of them are available, we will be able to complete the analysis. Documents that
                  have been recently declassified by the CIA contain no results of such completed analysis. 
  Who Stole Noahs Ark? 
  What
                  results can be achieved after study of the CIA documents concerning Noahs Ark? It is for sure that all of them provide rather
                  contradictory information. At first sight, it seems that these documents refute the very fact saying that the CIA knows about
                  the ark and its location. Then, it seems very strange why the Agency refuses to provide pictures of the ark. It is also strange
                  that some additional researches were mentioned. It is highly likely that main researches were held some time earlier. If anything
                  of this kind was held, why did the Agency report no results of such researches?  When the CIA says that it failed to identify
                  Noahs Ark convincingly, does it mean that some objects resembling the ark were found indeed? Why no information was published
                  on this fact? Was it done for the purpose not to reveal the CIAs spy potential when air photography of Ararat mountain is
                  published? This very suggestion is very unconvincing as the pictures were taken many years ago, and certainly CIAs spy technologies
                  used at that period are of no interest at present. 
  An idea supposed by Robert Simmons is highly probable; he said
                  that the CIA published no information concerning searches for Noahs Ark as it feared that this may entail a hail of protests.
                  What will happen if it is proved that the ark actually remained intact in the ice of Ararat mountain before Americans stole
                  it? 
  Komok.ru 
  Translated by Maria Gousseva 
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