T-Shirts & Polos - Apparel & Accessories
Russian Gifts

'1 Ruble. This is Our Profit' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of Stalin era.

'Aeroflot' T-Shirt $30.95 - reduced price $24.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The T-shirt displays the famous 'Aeroflot' logo with hammer and sickle in its core and immitation of airplane wings on the sides. The inscription says: 'AEROFLOT' (in Russian) 'Soviet Airlines' (in English). MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: 'AEROFLOT' HISTORY History The company was founded in 1923 under the name Dobroflot and was reorganized under the name Aeroflot in 1932. International flights started in 1937, before that date they had been carried out by a joint Soviet-German airline Deruluft. During the Soviet era Aeroflot was a synonym for Russian civil aviation. One of the rare examples of Soviet commercial advertisement was Aeroflot slogan: 'Fly on Aeroflot planes!' The paradox was that Aeroflot had no competitors and it was virtually impossible for an average Soviet citizen to fly on a non-Aeroflot plane. The airline grew into what was considered by the World Almanac as the world's largest airline company. In 1976 Aeroflot carried more then 100 million passengers for the first time. Its flights were mainly concentrating around the Soviet Union, but the airline also had an international network covering five continents: North and South Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. The network included countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Cuba, and People's Republic of China. Since the 1970s some transatlantic flights were flown using Shannon Airport in Ireland as a hub, as it was the westernmost non-NATO airport in Europe. Aeroflot joined IATA in 1989. At the start of the 1990s Aeroflot was divided into hundreds of new airlines. The biggest one was the Moscow-based subsidiary responsible for international flights, which possessed the brand (Aeroflot - Soviet International Airlines). Some airline companies which were created from the old Aeroflot are now flag carriers of the newly independent countries of the CIS ù e.g., Ukraine International Airlines. Smaller regional airlines which emerged out of the old Aeroflot ù sometimes just one-plane operations ù are sometimes referred to as Babyflots. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the decision was made to reorganize Aeroflot as an open joint stock company (the company was created in 1994 under the name Aeroflot ù Russian International Airlines). The Russian government still owns 51% of the airline. During the 1990s Aeroflot was primarily focused on international flights from Moscow. However, by the end of the decade Aeroflot started an expansion in the domestic market. In 2000 the company name was changed to Aeroflot ù Russian Airlines to reflect the change in the company's strategy. The transition period severely damaged the safety record of the company. There was a number of accidents at the start of the 1990s. The last one was in 1994, when an A310 crashed near Mezhdurechensk, Russia killing 75 people on board. It happened after a captain allowed his 15 year-old son to manipulate the controls of the plane while a co-pilot was not able to reach the controls properly. Nevertheless, Aeroflot managed to improve itself dramatically in a short period of time and the airline's safe flights rate is currently 99.94 percent. The company used to be severely criticized for its bad service, especially in the first half of 1990s. Although service has improved since then, the hardest part was to train attendants to deliver it with a smile. In the mid-1990s the company even had an advertisement slogan: 'We don't smile, because we're serious about making you happy'. Fleet history During the Soviet era Aeroflot had 100% Russian-made fleet. In fact, all Soviet civil aircrafts were build for Aeroflot. On September 15, 1956 Aeroflot started to operate Tupolev Tu-104 - the World's first jet airplane in regular service. The first flight with passengers was from Moscow to Irkutsk, Russia. The first international route served by Tu-104 was Moscow - Prague, Czech Republic. The Tupolev Tu-114, originally used to transport Soviet leaders, came into service in 1962 on the Moscow - Havana, Cuba route, the longest non-stop route of the airline at that time. In 1972 the first Tupolev Tu-154 began regular flights. This jet airplane is probably the most popular Russian airliner (more than 1000 of these were build in total). It is also one of the most reliable planes in the world. The latest modification Tu-154M is still in service. In 1974 Aeroflot started to use the Tupolev Tu-144 - the world's first civil supersonic aircraft on its regular route from Moscow to Alma-Ata (now Almaty, Kazakhstan). Tu-144s were retired from service in 1984. In 1980 the Ilyushin Il-86 - the first Russian-made wide-body plane -joined the fleet. Eleven planes are still in use for charter flights. In 1993 Aeroflot started to operate the Ilyushin Il-96-300 airplanes on its route Moscow-New York. The first western-made aircraft (the Airbus A310) was acquired in 1992. The company also became a Boeing customer, adding new Boeing 767 jet planes in 1994. Since then Aeroflot has also operated Boeing 737s, Boeing 777s, Airbus A320 family and the cargo version of the Douglas DC-10s. Other facts of interest Aeroflot started commercial flights to the United States in 1968. However, in 1979 these flights were suspended by the US Government in response to the Soviet intervention into Afghanistan. Direct flights from Moscow to New York were resumed in 1986. President Vladimir Putin's wife is a former Aeroflot flight attendant. She worked at the Leningrad-based subsidiary of Soviet Aeroflot (Leningrad Avia-Squadron), now Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise. Aeroflot was portrayed in Bourne Supremacy. ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'AK-103, the Victory Weapon' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. This nice T-shirt has the 'AK-103', famous Russian assault rifle, pictured on the front of it. The inscription in the lower right-hand corner says: AK-103 with NSPUM night sight and GP-25 underbarrel grenade launcher Caliber - 7.62 mm Length - 700 mm Weight - 3.3 kg Rate of fire - 1000 rds/min The back print has the 'World Massacre Tour', lising conflicts from The Gulf War to Chechnya and ending with '...to be continued'. Good gift for Kalashnikov guns lover.

'AKS-47, the Perfect Weapon' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The T-shirt has 'AKS-47', the famous Kalashnikov assault rifle, pictured on the front of it. The top of the print spells out the name of the great designer 'Mikhail Kalashnikov', while the bottom of the print summarizes: 'The Perfect Weapon'. The inscription in the lower right-hand corner says: AKS-47 Technical Specifications Caliber - 7.62 mm Length - 880/645 mm Weight - 3.8 kg The back print has the 'World Massacre Tour', lising conflicts from The Gulf War to Chechnya and ending with '...to be continued'. Good gift for Kalashnikov guns lover.

'Beloved Stalin - Peoples' Happiness' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of Stalin era.

'CCCP. Coat of Arms' T-Shirt $30.95 - reduced price $24.95 Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54, 54+ Colors: black, grey, red, white Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print shows letters 'CCCP' on background of your choice and a large state emblem of the Soviet Union right under them. 'CCCP' is a world-known Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union. The state emblem of the Soviet Union (corresponding to a coat of arms) had the Earth superimposed by the hammer and sickle. Two bundles of corn ears heavily draped with a scroll, reading in all the 15 SSR languages the motto 'Workers of the World, Unite!'; the bundles encircle an earth globe (viewed approx. from the vertical of the Black Sea) showing solid continents and coordinate lines in 20 deg. intervals. On it a hammer and a sickle, crossed per saltire, in naturalistic look. Under the globe a rising sun with alternating long and short rays made of single lines (approx. 30 visible rays); above the globe a red star. In 1936-1946 the soviet state emblem had 11 ribbons (without Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Moldavian) In 1946-1956 - 16 ribbons (15 + Karelian-Finnish) Since 1956 - 15 ribbons. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: 'CCCP' or 'USSR' 'CCCP' is Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union, reading as 'Soy·z SovÚtskikh SotsialistÝcheskikh Resp·blik' (SSSR) or 'The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'. Commonly known as the Soviet Union (SovÚtsky Soy·z), it was a state in much of the northern region of Eurasia that existed from 1922 until 1991. The list of republics in the Soviet Union varied over the time. In its final years it consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.'s). Russia was by far the largest Republic in the Soviet Union, dominating in nearly all respects: land area, population, economic output, and political influence. The territory of the Soviet Union also varied, and in its most recent times approximately corresponded to that of the late Imperial Russia, with notable exclusions of Poland and Finland. The political organization of the country was defined by the only recognized political party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Brief History Revolutionary activity in Russia began with the Decembrist Revolt, uncovered in 1825, and although serfdom was abolished in 1861, its abolition was achieved on terms unfavorable to the peasants and served to encourage revolutionaries. A parliament, the Duma, was established in 1906, but political and social unrest continued and was aggravated during World War I by military defeat and food shortages. The February Revolution and October Revolutions (see also Russian Revolution) were followed by a period of civil war (see Russian Civil War), after which communist control was complete under the Bolsheviks who soon renamed themselves the Communist Party. The collapse of Tsarist rule was followed by the eviction of the landlord class and the subdivision of land among peasant families. Poor and middle peasants generally did not benefit from the latter until Lenin announced the New Economic Policy (NEP), which saw an end to government requisitioning of food during the civil war. Peasants marketed most of their produce at free prices during the years of the NEP. After the death of the Soviet Union's revolutionary founding figure Vladimir Lenin (1924), Joseph Stalin finally emerged as uncontested leader, defeating Leon Trotsky and ultimately having him exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929. Under Stalin, who replaced Lenin's NEP with five year plans and collective farming, the Soviet Union (established 1922) became a major industrial power, but with effective political opposition eliminated during the 1930s by purges. World War II established the Soviet Union as one of the two major world powers, a position maintained for four decades through military strength, aid to developing countries, and scientific research, especially into space technology and weaponry. Growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, its former wartime ally and the other superpower, led to the Cold War. Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev promoted Soviet glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring). A U.S.-Soviet summit meeting in 1986 and 1987 and a meeting of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev in late 1988 brought a reduction in arms in Europe. The disintegration of Communist allies in Eastern Europe heralded the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As the Russian republic's Boris Yeltsin eclipsed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in power, the Soviet Union was peacefully dissolved in December 1991. Most former Soviet republics joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'Chattering is Helping the Enemy' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of post-WWII era.

'Che Guevara Lives' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print on the front of the T-shirt is a large portrait of Che Guevara. Che Guevara was born in Argentina in 1928. He trained as a physician before becoming involved in social issues, leading to his conversion to communism and his going to Cuba where he became Fidel CastroÆs chief lieutenant. Since his death in Bolivia, Che has become a cult figure. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: ERNESTO (CHE) GUEVARA, DEATH OF AN IDEALIST Che Guevara, a charismatic leader of the Cuban Revolution which put Fidel Castro in power, was also an asthmatic from the age of 2. Asthma would plague Che for the rest of his life. Born to a middle class family, Che would seek a medical degree, which some say was an attempt to better understand his asthma. He'd later become interested in the treatment of leprosy and tropical disease. He'd graduate from medical school with a specialty in dermatology. During medical school, Che Guevara would travel throughout South American with a friend, Alberto Granadas, on motorbike. These travels would acquaint Che with the poverty and exploitation of the poor. Che, never one to hide his opinions, would be arrested on his way to work at a leper colony in Venezuela due to some of his early writings on native indians. This detour would prove pivotal, eventually resulting in Che's joining with Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution. After the success of the revolution, Che became one of Castro's most trusted allies and put in charge of Cuba's financial reforms and ties to the Soviet Union. But the running of a country and disillusionment with the realities of Soviet style communism would lead to Che giving up his high position in post-Batista Cuba. Che would try to return to the idealistic life of a revolutionary and the success of the Cuban revolt. Breaking away from Castro was obviously difficult for the dedicated revolutionary as illustrated in a letter he wrote to Fidel. Che would try to recapture some of the earlier glory in a number of African countries, particularly the Congo. This would end in failure. Che would ultimately be killed in 1967 during another unsuccessful revolution attempt in Bolivia, South America. Che Guevara has now become many things to many people, an icon of Communism and even a logo for the sale of Vodka and tacos. After the Cuban revolt, Che seemed out of place. He had moved from the people he most identified with, the poor. He was, after all, an idealist, and the world has a long history of being very intolerant of this type of man. ® Copyright About.com

'Che Guevara Star' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print on the front of the T-shirt is a red star with Che Guevara's portrait in the center of it. Che Guevara was born in Argentina in 1928. He trained as a physician before becoming involved in social issues, leading to his conversion to communism and his going to Cuba where he became Fidel CastroÆs chief lieutenant. Since his death in Bolivia, Che has become a cult figure. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: ERNESTO (CHE) GUEVARA, DEATH OF AN IDEALIST Che Guevara, a charismatic leader of the Cuban Revolution which put Fidel Castro in power, was also an asthmatic from the age of 2. Asthma would plague Che for the rest of his life. Born to a middle class family, Che would seek a medical degree, which some say was an attempt to better understand his asthma. He'd later become interested in the treatment of leprosy and tropical disease. He'd graduate from medical school with a specialty in dermatology. During medical school, Che Guevara would travel throughout South American with a friend, Alberto Granadas, on motorbike. These travels would acquaint Che with the poverty and exploitation of the poor. Che, never one to hide his opinions, would be arrested on his way to work at a leper colony in Venezuela due to some of his early writings on native indians. This detour would prove pivotal, eventually resulting in Che's joining with Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution. After the success of the revolution, Che became one of Castro's most trusted allies and put in charge of Cuba's financial reforms and ties to the Soviet Union. But the running of a country and disillusionment with the realities of Soviet style communism would lead to Che giving up his high position in post-Batista Cuba. Che would try to return to the idealistic life of a revolutionary and the success of the Cuban revolt. Breaking away from Castro was obviously difficult for the dedicated revolutionary as illustrated in a letter he wrote to Fidel. Che would try to recapture some of the earlier glory in a number of African countries, particularly the Congo. This would end in failure. Che would ultimately be killed in 1967 during another unsuccessful revolution attempt in Bolivia, South America. Che Guevara has now become many things to many people, an icon of Communism and even a logo for the sale of Vodka and tacos. After the Cuban revolt, Che seemed out of place. He had moved from the people he most identified with, the poor. He was, after all, an idealist, and the world has a long history of being very intolerant of this type of man. ® Copyright About.com

'Communist Cocaine' $44.95 - reduced price $32.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in St. Petersburg, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print on the front of the T-shirt shows Vladimir I. Lenin holding the Soviet 'PRAVDA' ('The Truth') newspaper in his hand. The upper left-hand corner of the print spells out 'Cocaine'. Communism was definitely a kind of cocaine for the masses of people hungry for the Truth in the country where any form of faith - apart from the Party-dictated 'truth' - was prohibited. Communism was a religion of worship to an 'artificially resurrected' Leader, Vladimir Ilyuch Lenin... That is precisely why the name chosen for the T-shirt is 'Communist Cocaine'.

'Don't be Naughty' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of post-WWII era.

'First Man in Space!' $30.95 Authentic Russian T-shirt screen-printed in Moscow, Russia. Displays a print of the original 'Pravda' newspaper, telling of the 'First Man in Space' Yuri Gagarin's space flight.

'For Peoples' Happiness' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of Stalin era.

'FREE Mikhail Khodorkovsky!' $34.45 Sizes: a M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: a 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: a 100% cotton Availability: a ships within 5-7 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'FREE M.B.K.!', of course, stands for 'FREE Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky!' Highly professional 10.8' x 16.8' (27 x 42 cm) photo print shows Khodorkovsky smiling. He never pleaded guilty. MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky (b. 26 June 1963) is a Russian businessman. As of 2004, Khodorkovsky is the wealthiest man in Russia, and the 16th wealthiest man in the world, due primarily to his holding in the Russian petroleum company, Yukos. He is considered one of Russia's most powerful oligarchs. On October 25, 2003, Khodorkovsky was arrested at gunpoint on a Siberian airport runway by the Russian prosecutor general's office, on charges of tax evasion. Shortly thereafter, on October 31, the government further took the unprecedented step of freezing shares of Yukos due on tax charges. Khodorkovsky's supporters see the Kremlin's actions against him as retaliation for Khodorkovsky's support of political groups that oppose the government's policies, while opponents believe that he must answer for wrongdoing related to the privatization of state assets during the 1990. ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'From Russia with Love' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print shows the domes of the world-famous St. Basil's Cathedral - that stands on the Red Square in Moscow - with red & golden stars shining above it. 'RUSSIA' is what is printed just below the domes, and the smaller blue font reads: 'From Russia with Love'. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: St. BASIL'S CATHEDRAL The famous St. Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built on the edge of Red Square between 1555 and 1561. Legend has it that on completion of the church the Tsar ordered the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, to be blinded to prevent him from ever creating anything to rival its beauty again. (He did in fact go on to build another cathedral in Vladimir despite his ocular impediment!) The cathedral was built to commemorate Ivan the Terrible's successful military campaign against the Tartar Mongols in 1552 in the besieged city of Kazan. Victory came on the feast day of the Intercession of the Virgin, so the Tsar chose to name his new church the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat, after the moat that ran beside the Kremlin. The church was given the nickname 'St. Basil's' after the 'holy fool' Basil the Blessed (1468-1552), who was hugely popular at that time with the Muscovites masses and even with Ivan the Terrible himself. St. Basil's was built on the site of the earlier Trinity Cathedral, which at one point gave its name to the neighboring square. St. Basil's is a delightful array of swirling colors and redbrick towers. Its design comprises nine individual chapels, each topped with a unique onion dome and each commemorating a victorious assault on the city of Kazan. In 1588 the ninth chapel was erected to house the tomb of the church's namesake, Basil the Blessed. The church's design is based on deep religious symbolism and was meant to be an architectural representation of the New Jerusalem - the Heavenly Kingdom described in the Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine. The eight onion dome-topped towers are positioned around a central, ninth spire, forming an eight-point star. The number eight carries great religious significance; it denotes the day of Christ's Resurrection (the eighth day by the ancient Jewish calendar) and the promised Heavenly Kingdom - the kingdom of the eighth century, which will begin after the second coming of Christ. The eight-point star itself symbolizes the Christian Church as a guiding light to mankind, showing us the way to the Heavenly Jerusalem and it represents the Virgin Mary, depicted in Orthodox iconography with a veil decorated with three eight-pointed stars. The cathedral's star-like plan carries yet more meaning - the star consisting of two superimposed squares, which represent the stability of faith, the four corners of the earth, the four Evangelists and the four equal-sided walls of the Heavenly City. The extravagant and brightly colored domes of the cathedral's exterior mask a much more modestly decorated and somewhat less spectacular interior. Small dimly lit chapels and maze-like corridors fill the inside of the church and the walls are covered with delicate floral designs in subdued pastel colors dating from the 17th century. Visitors can climb up a narrow, wooden spiral staircase, set in one of the walls and discovered only in the 1970s during restoration work, and marvel at the Chapel of the Intercession's priceless iconostasis, dating back to the 16th century. There was so little room inside the church to accommodate worshippers, that on special feast days services were held outside on Red Square where the clergy communicated their sermons to the milling masses from Lobnoye Mesto, using St. Basil's as an outdoor altar. The church has narrowly escaped destruction a number of times during the city's tumultuous history. Legend has it that Napoleon was so impressed with St. Basil's that he wanted to take it back to Paris with him, but lacking to the technology to do so, ordered instead that it be destroyed with the French retreat from the city. The French set up kegs of gunpowder and lit their fuses, but a sudden, miraculous shower helped to extinguish the fuses and prevent the explosion. Early in this century the cathedral almost fell prey to the atheist principles of the Bolshevik regime. In 1918 the communist authorities shot the church's senior priest, Ioann Vostorgov, confiscated its property, melted down its bells and closed the cathedral down. In the 1930s Lazar Kaganovich, a close colleague of Stalin and director of the Red Square reconstruction plan, suggested that St. Basil's be knocked down to create space and ease the movement of public parades and vehicle movement on the square. Thankfully Stalin rejected his proposal as he did a second plan to destroy the cathedral. This time the courage of the architect and devotee of Russian culture, P. Baranovsky, saved the church. When ordered to prepare the cathedral for destruction he refused and threatened to cut his own throat on the steps of the church, then sent a bluntly worded telegram to the leader of the party himself relating the above. For some reason Stalin cancelled the decision to knock the church down and for his efforts Baranovsky was rewarded with five years in jail. An extensive program of renovation is still being carries out on both the exterior and interior of the church, but will not spoil that essential visit to St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow's moat famous and arguably most beautiful ecclesiastical building. In the small garden outside St. Basil's stands an impressive bronze Statue to Minin and Pozharsky, who rallied Russia's volunteer army during the Time of Troubles and drove out the invading Polish forces. They were an interesting duo - Dmitry Pozharsky was a prince, while Kuzma Minin was a butcher from Nizhny Novgorod. The statue was designed by the artist I. Martos and erected in 1818 as the city's first monumental sculpture. It originally stood in the center of Red Square in front of what is now the GUM Department Store, with Minin symbolically indicating to Pozharsky that the Poles were occupying the Kremlin and calling for its liberation. The Soviet authorities felt that the statue had become an obstacle during parades and after the construction of the Lenin Mausoleum Red Square, its position was considered rather ambiguous and was eventually moved to the garden in front of St. Basil's in 1936. ® Copyright Moscow-Taxi.com

'Gagarin' $30.95 Authentic Russian T-shirt screen-printed in Moscow, Russia. Has a print of Yuri Gagarin, world's 'first man in space', in cosmonaut helmet on the front of it. Imported from Russia.

'Glory to the Great Stalin - the Architect of Communism' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of Stalin era.

'Glory to Warrior-the-Winner' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of Stalin era.

'Great Stalin - Leading Light of Communism' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of Stalin era.

'Gzhel Style' $34.45 Sizes: a M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: a 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: a 100% cotton Availability: a ships within 5-7 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in St. Petersburg, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'Gzhelka' is an authentic vodka by Moscow distillery 'Kristall'. It is one of the most popular Russian vodkas, made by original ancient recipes. Only best quality wheat, alcohol 'Lux' and purified spring water are used in its manufacture. Some sugar syrup imparts tender and mild taste. Some believe 'Gzhelka' to be the most popular brand of Russian vodka worldwide. The high-quality 10.8' x 16.8' (27 x 42 cm) photo print on this T-shirt ties 'Gzhelka to the origins of its name - Gzhel' porcelain and Gzhel'-style decore. VODKA HISTORY Vodka is derived from the Slavic word 'voda', or as the Polish use 'woda', meaning water. The history of Vodka is ancient, the first documented production of vodka was in Russia at the end of the 9th century, but the first known distillery at, Khylnovsk, was about two hundred years later as reported in the Vyatka Chronicle of 1174. Although Poland claims to have begun distilling vodka earlier, in the 8th century, the first documented Polish vodkas appeared in the 11th century and were called 'gorzalka'. During the Middle Ages, distilled liquor was used mainly for medicinal purposes, as well as being an ingredient in the production of gunpowder. It wouldn't be until the 14th century that Vodka would be recognized formally as a 'drink'. A National Drink In the 14th century a British Ambassador to Moscow first described vodka as the Russian national drink and in the mid-16th century it was established as the national drink in Poland and Finland. In Russia as well, vodka was used frequently as a medicine. In these ancient times, Russia produced many different varieties of 'vodka' or 'hot wine' as it was called. There was 'plain wine' (standard), 'good wine' (improved) and 'boyar wine' (high quality). In addition stronger types existed, distilled two ('double wine') or more times. And since their production methods were crude, vodka often contained impurities, so to mask these the distillers flavored their spirits with things like fruit, herbs or spices. The 15th century saw the first appearance of pot distillation in Russia. Prior to that, seasoning, ageing and freezing were all used to remove impurities, as was precipitiation using isinglass ('karluk') from the air bladders of sturgeons. Distillation became the first step in producing vodka, with the product being improved by precipitation using isinglass, milk or egg white. Around this time (1450) vodka started to be produced in large quantities and the first recorded exports of Russian vodka were to Sweden in 1505. Polish 'woda' exports started a century later, from major production centers in Posnan and Krakow. By 1716, owning a distillery was exclusively saved for the nobility and in 1751 they were granted special rights that entitled them to said ownership. In 1771, the Liebig condenser was invented by German chemist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, vastly improving production and purity. This is very close to the condensing process of today. It was also around the eighteen century that a professor in St. Petersburg discovered a method for purifying alcohol using charcoal filtration. Up to that point, purifying was primarily done with felt or sand. Growing Demand The awareness of vodka continued throughout the 19th century, helped by the presence in many parts of Europe of Russian soldiers involved in various wars on the continent, including the Napoleonic Wars. To meet the growing demand, lower grade products were produced based largely on distilled potato mash. Between the years 1860 and 1890, attempts were made to control production by reducing the number of distilleries from 5,000 to 2,050, but these efforts failed. But in 1894, a law was enacted to make the production and distribution of vodka in Russia a state monopoly. This was both for fiscal reasons and to control the epidemic of drunkenness which the cheap, mass-produced 'vodkas' imported and home-produced, had brought about. It is only at the end of the 19th century, with adoption of a standard production technique and a guarantee of quality, that the name 'vodka' was officially and formally recognized. Vodka Comes to America After the Russian Revolution cerca 1918, the Bolsheviks confiscated all private distilleries in Moscow. As a result, a number of Russian vodka-makers emigrated, taking their skills and recipes with them. One such exile revived his brand in Paris, using the French version of his family name - Smirnoff. Thence, he set up the first vodka distillery there in 1934. This was subsequently sold to a US drinks company. From this small start, vodka began in the 1940s to achieve its wide popularity in the Western World. Vodka is made from neutral spirits, (which are distilled spirits produced from any material at or above 190? proof). Usually it is distilled from grain or potatoes. The end result is ethanol. It is then charcoal filtered, rectified or distilled again to ensure all congeners and taste is removed. In the United States, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' law states that 'Vodka is neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.' The exception to this law is flavored Vodkas. ® Copyright Vodka.com

'Hammer & Sickle' T-Shirt $32.08 - reduced price $31.49

'Have You Enrolled as a Volunteer?' T-Shirt $30.95 - reduced price $24.95 Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54, 54+ Colors: white Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'Have you Enrolled as a Volunteer' was a Bolshevik Era (1917-1921) poster produced by Dmitrii Moor in a single night as recruitment needs grew critical. Civil War demanded action. It is told that about 50,000 copies of this poster were distributed, and its bold and simple image of a Red Armyman inspired many young men to sign up in droves. The T-shirt replicates this very poster. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: SOVIET PROPAGANDA Lenin created the first truly modern propaganda machine, and its most colorful, dramatic and original form was the poster. Although posters were produced in Russia before the Revolution, they were overshadowed by the remarkable propaganda posters of the Soviets. Lenin takes responsibility for creating the first truly modern propaganda machine, from postage stamps and Mayday parades to monumental sculptures. Perhaps its most colorful, dramatic and original form was the poster. Through it, the greatest artists of the time proclaimed government policies, asked for support, and demanded greater efforts -- all with the goal of building Soviet power. ® 1998 Copyright Jim Lapides & Clive Foss

'Have You Visited McDonald's in Moscow?' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'Have you Enrolled as a Volunteer' was a Bolshevik Era (1917-1921) poster produced by Dmitrii Moor in a single night as recruitment needs grew critical. Civil War demanded action. It is told that about 50,000 copies of this poster were distributed, and its bold and simple image of a Red Armyman inspired many young men to sign up in droves. The 'Have you Visited McDonald's in Moscow?' T-shirt before you copies the 'Have you Enrolled as a Volunteer' poster in its bold propagandistic move; but a Big Mac« on the soldier's bayonet and 'McDonald's' on the Kremlin wall brings a smile to anyone's face. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: SOVIET PROPAGANDA Lenin created the first truly modern propaganda machine, and its most colorful, dramatic and original form was the poster. Although posters were produced in Russia before the Revolution, they were overshadowed by the remarkable propaganda posters of the Soviets. Lenin takes responsibility for creating the first truly modern propaganda machine, from postage stamps and Mayday parades to monumental sculptures. Perhaps its most colorful, dramatic and original form was the poster. Through it, the greatest artists of the time proclaimed government policies, asked for support, and demanded greater efforts -- all with the goal of building Soviet power. ® 1998 Copyright Jim Lapides & Clive Foss

'I Am Working for KGB' T-Shirt $30.95 - reduced price $24.95 Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54, 54+ Colors: black, green, red, white Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Everyone knows what 'KGB' was. The three-letter name of this security agency does not need translations. The front print of the T-shirt displays a KGB officer portrayed in a humorous way. Such T-shirt would undoubtedly make a great and unique gift. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: KGB The KGB, short for Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security), was the name of the main Soviet Security Agency and intelligence agency, as well as the main secret police agency from March 13, 1954 to November 6, 1991. The KGB's domain was roughly comparable to that of the American Central Intelligence Agency combined with the counterintelligence and internal security divisions of the FBI. In March of 1953, Lavrenty Beria united the MVD and MGB into one body, the MVD. Within a year, Beria was executed and the MVD was split up. The reformed MVD retained its internal security(police and law enforcement) functions while the new KGB took on internal and external security functions. The KGB was subordinated to the Council of Ministers. On July 5, 1978 the KGB was renamed the 'KGB of the USSR' with the KGB Chairman given a seat on the council. The KGB was dissolved due to the participation of its chief, Colonel General Vladimir Kryuchkov, in the August 1991 coup attempt designed to overthrow Mikhail Gorbachev. He used many of the KGB's resources to aid the coup attempt. Kryuchkov was arrested, and General Vadim Bakatin was appointed Chairman on August 23, 1991 with a mandate to dismantle the KGB. On November 6, 1991 the Russian KGB officially ceased to exist, though its successor organization, the Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti, or FSB, is functionally extremely similar to the KGB. Belarus is the only post-Soviet society where the successor organization continues to be called the KGB. Belarus is also where one of the founders of the KGB, Felix Dzerzhinskyùwho was born in a town now within Belarusian territoryùremains a national hero. Some members of the KGB referred to it as 'The committee' while other employees called it the Kontora Grubykh Banditov, that is, the 'association of crude bandits.' ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'Joseph Stalin' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screened printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The T-shirt displays a large color portrait of Joseph V. Stalin in his full Generalissimo uniform with an eloquent inscription 'J. Stalin' (in English) under the portrait. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: JOSEPH STALIN (1879-1953) Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union for nearly a quarter of a century. His rule is infamous for his use of police terror and the frequent mass murders of his own people. Georgian Marxist revolutionary and later virtual dictator of the USSR (1928-53), born in Gori, C Georgia, the son of a cobbler and ex-serf. He studied at Tiflis Orthodox Theological Seminary, from which he was expelled in 1899. After joining a Georgian Social Democratic organization (1898), he became active in the revolutionary underground, and was twice exiled to Siberia (1902, 1913). As a leading Bolshevik he played an active role in the October Revolution (1917), and became people's commissar for nationalities in the first Soviet government and a member of the Communist Party Politburo. In 1922 he became general secretary of the Party Central Committee, a post he held until his death, and also occupied other key positions which enabled him to build up enormous personal power in the party and government apparatus. After Lenin's death (1924) he pursued a policy of building æsocialism in one countryÆ, and gradually isolated and disgraced his political rivals, notably Trotsky. In 1928 he launched the campaign for the collectivization of agriculture during which millions of peasants perished, and the first 5-year plan for the forced industrialization of the economy. Between 1934 and 1938 he inaugurated a massive purge of the party, government, armed forces, and intelligentsia in which millions of so-called æenemies of the peopleÆ were imprisoned, exiled, or shot. In 1938 he signed the Non-Aggression Pact with Hitler which bought the Soviet Union two years respite from involvement in World War 2. After the German invasion (1941), the USSR became a member of the Grand Alliance, and Stalin, as war leader, assumed the title of generalissimo. He took part in the conferences of Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam which resulted in Soviet military and political control over the liberated countries of post-war E and C Europe. From 1945 until his death he resumed his repressive measures at home, and conducted foreign policies which contributed to the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West. He was posthumously denounced by Khrushchev at the 20th Party Congress (1956) for crimes against the Party and for building a æcult of personalityÆ. Under Gorbachev many of Stalin's victims were rehabilitated, and the whole phenomenon of æStalinismÆ officially condemned by the Soviet authorities. While many regard Stalin as a brutal dictator possibly equalled only by Hitler in the scale of the terror he wreaked, others question whether the Soviet Union would have survived to win victories in World War 2 under a more liberal leader. ® Copyright About.com & Biography.com

'KGB, USSR' T-Shirt $30.95 - reduced price $24.95 Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54, 54+ Colors: black, grey, red, white Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Everyone knows what 'KGB' was. The three-letter name of this security agency does not need translations. The front print of the T-shirt displays the emblem of the Soviet Committee for State Security, saying KGB, USSR on top of it. The back of the T-shirt has a famous Soviet poster 'Ne boltai' (Don't chatter) on it. The poster was painted by N. Denisov in 1941, in the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, when the motto of the poster (found in its upper right corner) was often found true: 'Be on the alert. In such days even walls have ears. The way is short from chatter and gossip to treason.' MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: KGB The KGB, short for Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security), was the name of the main Soviet Security Agency and intelligence agency, as well as the main secret police agency from March 13, 1954 to November 6, 1991. The KGB's domain was roughly comparable to that of the American Central Intelligence Agency combined with the counterintelligence and internal security divisions of the FBI. In March of 1953, Lavrenty Beria united the MVD and MGB into one body, the MVD. Within a year, Beria was executed and the MVD was split up. The reformed MVD retained its internal security(police and law enforcement) functions while the new KGB took on internal and external security functions. The KGB was subordinated to the Council of Ministers. On July 5, 1978 the KGB was renamed the 'KGB of the USSR' with the KGB Chairman given a seat on the council. The KGB was dissolved due to the participation of its chief, Colonel General Vladimir Kryuchkov, in the August 1991 coup attempt designed to overthrow Mikhail Gorbachev. He used many of the KGB's resources to aid the coup attempt. Kryuchkov was arrested, and General Vadim Bakatin was appointed Chairman on August 23, 1991 with a mandate to dismantle the KGB. On November 6, 1991 the Russian KGB officially ceased to exist, though its successor organization, the Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti, or FSB, is functionally extremely similar to the KGB. Belarus is the only post-Soviet society where the successor organization continues to be called the KGB. Belarus is also where one of the founders of the KGB, Felix Dzerzhinskyùwho was born in a town now within Belarusian territoryùremains a national hero. Some members of the KGB referred to it as 'The committee' while other employees called it the Kontora Grubykh Banditov, that is, the 'association of crude bandits.' ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'Lenin lived, Lenin lives, Lenin shall forever live' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of Stalin era.

'Manage Skillfully' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of the USSR era.

'McLenin's' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screened printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'McLenin's' is what the T-shirt says on the front of it, while the back print is quite equivocal: 'The Party is Over' (with a Soviet hammer and sickle star frying). Will make a great gift to anyone interested in either McDonald's« or Soviet history. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: SOVIET PROPAGANDA Lenin created the first truly modern propaganda machine, and its most colorful, dramatic and original form was the poster. Although posters were produced in Russia before the Revolution, they were overshadowed by the remarkable propaganda posters of the Soviets. Lenin takes responsibility for creating the first truly modern propaganda machine, from postage stamps and Mayday parades to monumental sculptures. Perhaps its most colorful, dramatic and original form was the poster. Through it, the greatest artists of the time proclaimed government policies, asked for support, and demanded greater efforts -- all with the goal of building Soviet power. ® 1998 Copyright Jim Lapides & Clive Foss

'McLenin's' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screened printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'McLenin's' is what the T-shirt says, and the signature spells out: 'V. Ulyanov (Lenin)'. Will make a great gift to any McDonald's« lover or despiser. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: SOVIET PROPAGANDA Lenin created the first truly modern propaganda machine, and its most colorful, dramatic and original form was the poster. Although posters were produced in Russia before the Revolution, they were overshadowed by the remarkable propaganda posters of the Soviets. Lenin takes responsibility for creating the first truly modern propaganda machine, from postage stamps and Mayday parades to monumental sculptures. Perhaps its most colorful, dramatic and original form was the poster. Through it, the greatest artists of the time proclaimed government policies, asked for support, and demanded greater efforts -- all with the goal of building Soviet power. ® 1998 Copyright Jim Lapides & Clive Foss

'MIG-29, Russia' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The front print of this T-shirt shows two MiG-29 fighters flying over the snowy mountains. The MiG-29 is marketed worldwide and equals or surpasses the F-15C in several areas (see the story below). This T-shirt would make a great gift to any air force fan. The specifications of this impressive aircraft are as follows: Type: MiG-29 'Fulcrum-A' Function: fighter Year: 1985 Crew: 1 Engines: 2*81.4kN Klimov (Isotov) RD-33 Wing Span: 11.36 m Length: 17.32 m Height: 4.73 m Empty Weight: 11,000 kg Max. Weight: 18.500 kg Speed: Mach 2.3 Ceiling: 18,000 m Range: 2,100 km Armament: 1*g30 mm Unit cost: 11 million USD MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: MiG-29, MIKOYAN-GUREVICH 'FULCRUM' A medium-sized air superiority fighter. 'Fulcrum' is an impressive aircraft, with good performance, armament and maneuvrability, and the ability to use rough airfields. Range is weak point, and later versions were modified to carry more fuel. A navalized version has also been flown. The Russian air force prefers the larger SU-27 and its derivatives, but the development of the advanced MiG-29M version has been funded recently. Over 2000 have been built. Development The MiG-29 is one of the first Russian aircraft that was considered by many to be an equal to those in the west. It incorperated a number of innovative technologies, some of which had never been on any western fighter. It also reflected a change in the Russian tactics in the air. For example, previously there had been a very heavy reliance on command and guidance from the ground, therefore there was little need for a cockpit with an excellent view, and since it was easier to make them smaller for aerodyanamic reasons this was the trend with the MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-25. But the MiG-29 was designed with a large bubble canopy similar to those on most western fighters suggesting a change in tactics. Louvered doors close the engine intakes while on the ground protecting the compressor from Foreign Object Damage (FOD). The air is sucked in through a number of slits on the upper side of the wing root. On the MiG-29M (a further development) these doors have been replace with a mesh grill similar to the one on the SU-27. It reduces complexity and created extra space for fuel and avionics by removing the intaces on top of the wing root. Mig29 Fulcrum The MiG-29 Fulcrum is of a comparable size to the F/A 18 Hornet. It first became operational in early 1985 and since then has been exported to a number of countries. About 345 of these counter air fighters are in service with the Russian tactical air forces and 110 with the naval forces. The MiG-29 has a high level of manouverability and the coherent pulse dopplar radar (which can track up to 10 targets simultanieously at 69 km) combined with a laser range finder and infra-red search and track (IRST) lijnked to the Helmet Mounted Sight (HMS) make it an excellent close in fighter. The two engines on the MiG-29 are the Kilmov/Sarkisov RD-33 each providing 18,000 pounds of thrust. Even if one engine is dammaged and providing no thrust the MiG-29 is able to accelerate and start on the one engine. Also the engines have proven their ability to take rough handeling with manouvers such as tail slides which were performed by Anatolij Kvocur at Farnbourough in 1988. The MiG-29M has addressed many of the fighters shortcommings. Unfortunately due to the economic position in Russia Mig-Mapo has not had any orders for this excellent aircraft. The internal fuel storage has been incresed dramatically; is controlled by quadruplex fly-by-wire; glass cockpit; new terrain following Zhuk radar; improved engines with reduced smoke trails, better efficency and more power; new IRST, added TV; longer canopy, a wider, longer and less curved dorsal spine; bulged wing tips with fore and aft Radar Warning Recievers (RWR), eight under wing hardpoints (as opposed to six on earlier versions); aluminium-lithium center section; and finally larger, sharper, repositioned wing roots which create stronger vortices and modifications to extend back the center of gravity limit for relaxed stability whcih increases the max angle of attack giving more manouverability and better efficency. As you can see the MiG-29M is a much imporved aircraft.

'Moscow' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print displays a colorful picture of the world-famous St. Basil's Cathedral that stands on the Red Square in Moscow. 'MOCKBA' is printed just below the cathedral, meaning 'MOSCOW' in Russian. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: St. BASIL'S CATHEDRAL The famous St. Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built on the edge of Red Square between 1555 and 1561. Legend has it that on completion of the church the Tsar ordered the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, to be blinded to prevent him from ever creating anything to rival its beauty again. (He did in fact go on to build another cathedral in Vladimir despite his ocular impediment!) The cathedral was built to commemorate Ivan the Terrible's successful military campaign against the Tartar Mongols in 1552 in the besieged city of Kazan. Victory came on the feast day of the Intercession of the Virgin, so the Tsar chose to name his new church the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat, after the moat that ran beside the Kremlin. The church was given the nickname 'St. Basil's' after the 'holy fool' Basil the Blessed (1468-1552), who was hugely popular at that time with the Muscovites masses and even with Ivan the Terrible himself. St. Basil's was built on the site of the earlier Trinity Cathedral, which at one point gave its name to the neighboring square. St. Basil's is a delightful array of swirling colors and redbrick towers. Its design comprises nine individual chapels, each topped with a unique onion dome and each commemorating a victorious assault on the city of Kazan. In 1588 the ninth chapel was erected to house the tomb of the church's namesake, Basil the Blessed. The church's design is based on deep religious symbolism and was meant to be an architectural representation of the New Jerusalem - the Heavenly Kingdom described in the Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine. The eight onion dome-topped towers are positioned around a central, ninth spire, forming an eight-point star. The number eight carries great religious significance; it denotes the day of Christ's Resurrection (the eighth day by the ancient Jewish calendar) and the promised Heavenly Kingdom - the kingdom of the eighth century, which will begin after the second coming of Christ. The eight-point star itself symbolizes the Christian Church as a guiding light to mankind, showing us the way to the Heavenly Jerusalem and it represents the Virgin Mary, depicted in Orthodox iconography with a veil decorated with three eight-pointed stars. The cathedral's star-like plan carries yet more meaning - the star consisting of two superimposed squares, which represent the stability of faith, the four corners of the earth, the four Evangelists and the four equal-sided walls of the Heavenly City. The extravagant and brightly colored domes of the cathedral's exterior mask a much more modestly decorated and somewhat less spectacular interior. Small dimly lit chapels and maze-like corridors fill the inside of the church and the walls are covered with delicate floral designs in subdued pastel colors dating from the 17th century. Visitors can climb up a narrow, wooden spiral staircase, set in one of the walls and discovered only in the 1970s during restoration work, and marvel at the Chapel of the Intercession's priceless iconostasis, dating back to the 16th century. There was so little room inside the church to accommodate worshippers, that on special feast days services were held outside on Red Square where the clergy communicated their sermons to the milling masses from Lobnoye Mesto, using St. Basil's as an outdoor altar. The church has narrowly escaped destruction a number of times during the city's tumultuous history. Legend has it that Napoleon was so impressed with St. Basil's that he wanted to take it back to Paris with him, but lacking to the technology to do so, ordered instead that it be destroyed with the French retreat from the city. The French set up kegs of gunpowder and lit their fuses, but a sudden, miraculous shower helped to extinguish the fuses and prevent the explosion. Early in this century the cathedral almost fell prey to the atheist principles of the Bolshevik regime. In 1918 the communist authorities shot the church's senior priest, Ioann Vostorgov, confiscated its property, melted down its bells and closed the cathedral down. In the 1930s Lazar Kaganovich, a close colleague of Stalin and director of the Red Square reconstruction plan, suggested that St. Basil's be knocked down to create space and ease the movement of public parades and vehicle movement on the square. Thankfully Stalin rejected his proposal as he did a second plan to destroy the cathedral. This time the courage of the architect and devotee of Russian culture, P. Baranovsky, saved the church. When ordered to prepare the cathedral for destruction he refused and threatened to cut his own throat on the steps of the church, then sent a bluntly worded telegram to the leader of the party himself relating the above. For some reason Stalin cancelled the decision to knock the church down and for his efforts Baranovsky was rewarded with five years in jail. An extensive program of renovation is still being carries out on both the exterior and interior of the church, but will not spoil that essential visit to St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow's moat famous and arguably most beautiful ecclesiastical building. In the small garden outside St. Basil's stands an impressive bronze Statue to Minin and Pozharsky, who rallied Russia's volunteer army during the Time of Troubles and drove out the invading Polish forces. They were an interesting duo - Dmitry Pozharsky was a prince, while Kuzma Minin was a butcher from Nizhny Novgorod. The statue was designed by the artist I. Martos and erected in 1818 as the city's first monumental sculpture. It originally stood in the center of Red Square in front of what is now the GUM Department Store, with Minin symbolically indicating to Pozharsky that the Poles were occupying the Kremlin and calling for its liberation. The Soviet authorities felt that the statue had become an obstacle during parades and after the construction of the Lenin Mausoleum Red Square, its position was considered rather ambiguous and was eventually moved to the garden in front of St. Basil's in 1936. ® Copyright Moscow-Taxi.com

'Moscow Metro/Subway' T-Shirt $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print on the front of the T-shirt pictures a full map of Moscow metro (subway). The words on top of the map say: 'MOSCOW, Line Map of Metropolitan'. This is an absolute must for any tourist travelling to Moscow or just returning from a trip to the Russian capital (to materialize your memories of this Moscow wonder with its underground palaces in marble and limestone). The back of the T-shirt displays an image that may be seen on the inside of the metro trains' doors: 'Do Not Lean!' For the conveniece of travellers we are also including a full English map of Moscow metro below. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: THE MOSCOW METRO The Moscow Metro is the most popular and, that is why, the most overcrowded public transport facility of the city. The first line of the Moscow Metro was open in 1935, it covered the distance from Sokolniki to Gorky Park and included 13 stations. Currently, there are over 150 stations (including transition stations) of the Moscow Metro. The Metro stations were designed and embellished by prominent Russian architects, artists and sculptors. Their great talent and decorative skills created a peculiar underground network of great artistic value. The gamut of original materials, which were used to ornament the stations, is so wide that the Moscow Metro may be called a unique Museum of Geology or even a peculiar Museum of Arts. The fee for one trip by Metro is fixed, i.e. it doesn't depend on the length of your route. Don't forget to get a Metro token, when going somewhere by the Metro. You may buy it in the Metro entrance halls. Then, deposit it into a slot of an automatic entry gate and get in. If you have a season ticket, just show it to a ticket-collector when passing by. However, a new, more convenient method of payment is already applied at nearly all Metro stations, it includes the use of plastic cards instead of tokens. Plastic cards, as well as tokens, are on sale in the Metro entrance halls. You may pay for a certain number of trips by Metro (5, 10 20, etc.) and this number will be recorded on the card. The only thing you have to do is to insert the plastic card into the slot of an entry gate, where the information is read, and get in. Check with the Metro outline to map out the route before going anywhere by Metro, it may only help you to avoid many train changes and find the shortest way up to the place you need. The stations of the Moscow Metro are open since 5:30 a.m. The last train leaves its final route-point at 1:00 a.m., late at night, that's the time, when passengers are not allowed to make transitions from one line to another. Many Muscovites go to work and back home by Metro, that's why you should be aware of the rush hours in the Moscow Metro on working days. Try to avoid using Metro during peak hours in the morning, between 7.30 a.m. and 10.30 a.m., and in the evening, from 4.00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. However, many stations are always overcrowded. In most cases, these are the stations located close to railway and bus terminals, biggest department stores and market places. The main rule a person has to follow, when diving into the depth of the Moscow Metro for the first time, says that no one is to be afraid of a crowd. However, no one should trust the crowd completely and follow it thoughtlessly. If you can't get into the Metro car, don't try to squeeze into it, but wait till next train comes, you might get a better chance of finding a vacant place. If you want to change from one line to another, use the Metro layout to choose and plan the best and the shortest route. The task becomes easier, if a station has only one transfer. As a rule, the Metro guiding boards indicate the lines and stations and you may always find the needed one. The exit boards are also very simple and easy-to read. They display a brief inscription and the names of nearby streets, department stores or organisations. In case a station has two or even more transfers, try to get calm and don't follow the crowd, in this case you may miss your direction. Instead, try to find the information board indicating the needed station. If it doesn't help, don't get scared and try to ask other people for help. In most cases, the Muscovites are friendly enough to show you the way out of the difficult situation. If not, continue to ask the passers-by and the fifth one will definitely help you. Moreover, there is a duty personnel at every station, it's their job to help you. Take care of your personal belongings. The crowd always attracts dishonest people. Please, look after your bags, handbags, pockets, etc. Don't leave your belongings in the Metro trains or in any other public transport. Otherwise, you'll always have a small chance of getting information about the lost things through calling 222-2085 (Metro) and 923-8753 (overland transport). You may always find the Metro entrance easily. Whatever it looks like, it is indicated by big red letter 'M' (illuminated in the evenings and late at night). ® Copyright Moscow-Guide.ru

'Russia' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'ROSSIYA' (meaning 'RUSSIA') is printed (in beautiful Russian font) in golden yellow on the front of the T-shirt, and Russia's current Coat of Arms may be found right below the inscription. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: THE RUSSIAN COAT OF ARMS The Two-headed Eagle serves as the Russian Coat of Arms since 15th century, when it was borrowed by Tsar Ivan the III from Bysanthy. The original color was black, as one can still see it on the Albanian State Flag. With the expansion of the Russian Empire the Eagle was decorated with shields of conquered countries and regions. After the Socialist Revolution in 1917 such a coat was abandoned. Since 1991, when Russia restored its independence, a number of attempts to adopt the official coat of arms were undertaken. In 1994 Russian Duma approved the coat featuring the Two-headed Eagle as the official one. The shield of St.George The Victor serves as the Moscow city shield since 15th century even without interruption and is added to the coat of arms as a symbol of the capital.

'Russia, Coat of Arms' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print displays a colorful picture of the Smaller Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire composed in 1882 and approved in February 1883. 'ROSSIYA' (meaning 'RUSSIA') is printed in the colors of the current Russian flag right under the historic coat of arms, uniting the Imperial Russian legacy and history with present Russia. The meaning of this coat of arms is beautifully described by RussianLegacy.com heraldic researcher below. Right under the description you may also find the Larger Coat of Arms of 1882, as well as St. Andrew's Order that we deem you'll find interesting as well. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: SMALLER COAT OF ARMS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE (approved on 23 February 1883) The Smaller Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire of 1882 represents a double-headed eagle (one head watches the East, while the other one watches the West of the Russian Empire) crowned with two emperor's crowns, above which there is yet another Tzar's crown with St. Andrew's Order ribbon flying under it. The eagle is holding the golden scepter in his right talon, while the golden imperial orb is in his left talon. Some say that the double-headed eagle coat of arms was adopted in 1497 by Tsar Ivan III, who took the Byzantinian two-headed eagle and improved it with the arms of Moscow. The arms on the breast of the Smaller Coat of Arms double-headed eagle is indeed the famous arms of Moscow of St. George killing the dragon. The chain around the shield of St. George is the chain of St. Andrew's Order. St. Andrew's Order (or the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called) was the highest decoration in the Russian Empire. It was established on 10 March 1699 by Peter the Great, and re-established in modern Russia on 1 July 1998. The arms on the wings of the eagle are (clockwise starting from the heads): 1. Kingdom of Astrakhan 2. Kingdom of Siberia [or the arms of current Novosibirsk] 3. Kingdom of Georgia 4. Grand Duchy of Finland 5. Grand Duchies of Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod (all in one arms) 6. Kherson and Taurida 7. Kingdom of Poland 8. Kingdom of Kazan ® 2004 Copyright Evgenii Prussakov (M.Phil., University of Cambridge) ORIGIN OF WHITE BLUE RED COLORS The white-blue-red is based on the coat of arms of the duchy of Moscow, which is red with Saint George, wearing white armor and a blue cape, riding a white horse, holding a blue shield, defeating the dragon. From Carl Alexander von Volborth's book on heraldry there's this picture about the coat of arms of Moscow : The caption says: The rider is said to be St. George from 1730. This version of the arms is dated 1856. The dominant colors are in effect red, blue and white. Another book says about the three colors: The imperial Russia had a red, blue and white flag, created in 1697 by Peter the Great, based on Holland's (...) It was the origin of pan-slavic colors, used by Serbia, Slovakia, Croatia and Bosna (...) The white-blue-red flag was used till the fall of Kerensky's government, in November 1917. The same happened to the two-headed eagle, without the imperial crown. Note that the 1856 version of St.George shows the rider going from right to left, while on modern shields bot rider and dragon are turned from left to right, whith the spear still in the foreground, making the right-handed knight's position more natural. ® Oxana Smirnova

'Silver Coat of Arms' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print displays a silver-looking picture of the Smaller Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire composed in 1882 and approved in February 1883. The meaning of this coat of arms is beautifully described by RussianLegacy.com heraldic researcher below. Right under the description you may also find the Larger Coat of Arms of 1882, as well as St. Andrew's Order that we deem you'll find interesting as well. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: SMALLER COAT OF ARMS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE (approved on 23 February 1883) The Smaller Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire of 1882 represents a double-headed eagle (one head watches the East, while the other one watches the West of the Russian Empire) crowned with two emperor's crowns, above which there is yet another Tzar's crown with St. Andrew's Order ribbon flying under it. The eagle is holding the golden scepter in his right talon, while the golden imperial orb is in his left talon. Some say that the double-headed eagle coat of arms was adopted in 1497 by Tsar Ivan III, who took the Byzantinian two-headed eagle and improved it with the arms of Moscow. The arms on the breast of the Smaller Coat of Arms double-headed eagle is indeed the famous arms of Moscow of St. George killing the dragon. The chain around the shield of St. George is the chain of St. Andrew's Order. St. Andrew's Order (or the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called) was the highest decoration in the Russian Empire. It was established on 10 March 1699 by Peter the Great, and re-established in modern Russia on 1 July 1998. The arms on the wings of the eagle are (clockwise starting from the heads): 1. Kingdom of Astrakhan 2. Kingdom of Siberia [or the arms of current Novosibirsk] 3. Kingdom of Georgia 4. Grand Duchy of Finland 5. Grand Duchies of Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod (all in one arms) 6. Kherson and Taurida 7. Kingdom of Poland 8. Kingdom of Kazan ® 2004 Copyright Evgenii Prussakov (M.Phil., University of Cambridge)

'Soviet Award to Harley-Davidson' $30.95 - reduced price $24.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The front of the T-shirt displays a DIPLOMA from the Soviet Government to 'Harley Davidson' for Harley WLA-42. The Soviet Union was supplied with this particular model - on lend-lease basis from the USA - during the years of the Great Patriotic War. The bike was known for its power and reliability. The back print has a large 'Harley' emblem with 'Moscow, Russia' printed under it. Great gift for a true Harley lover! MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: HISTORY OF THE HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE Many of the nineteenth century inventors who worked on early motorcycles often moved on to other inventions. Daimler and Roper, for example, both went on to develop automobiles. However, inventors Harley and the Davidsons developed motorcycles and their business competitors were other new start-up companies such as Excelsior, Indian, Pierce, Merkel, Schickel and Thor. In 1903, William Harley and his friends Arthur and Walter Davidson launched the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The bike had a quality engine, so it could prove itself in races, however, the company planned to manufacture it as a transport vehicle. Merchant, C. H. Lange, sold the first officially distributed Harley-Davidson in Chicago. ® Copyright About.com

'St. Basil's Cathedral' T-Shirt $30.95 - reduced price $24.95 Sizes: M, L, XL Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54, 54+ Colors: black, grey, red, white Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print displays a colorful picture of the world-famous St. Basil's Cathedral - on the background of your choice - with the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin on its left. The word in the lower part of the print spells out 'RUSSIA' in Russian (read as Roh-see-yah).

'Stalin is Our Guide' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screened printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The front of the T-shirt replicates a famous post-World War II poster of Soviet Russia, portraying Stalin at the wheel (with 'USSR' written on it) and stating in bold font: 'Stalin is our Guide'. Smaller font inscription to the left of the 'Father of all Peoples' says: 'Captain of the Soviet country leads us from victory to victory!' implying newer and newer Soviet victories in the fields and in industry. The back of the T-shirt pictures Stalin as a successor of Lenin, with a 'Banner of Lenin' poem displayed in the upper right corner of the print. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: JOSEPH STALIN (1879-1953) Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union for nearly a quarter of a century. His rule is infamous for his use of police terror and the frequent mass murders of his own people. Georgian Marxist revolutionary and later virtual dictator of the USSR (1928-53), born in Gori, C Georgia, the son of a cobbler and ex-serf. He studied at Tiflis Orthodox Theological Seminary, from which he was expelled in 1899. After joining a Georgian Social Democratic organization (1898), he became active in the revolutionary underground, and was twice exiled to Siberia (1902, 1913). As a leading Bolshevik he played an active role in the October Revolution (1917), and became people's commissar for nationalities in the first Soviet government and a member of the Communist Party Politburo. In 1922 he became general secretary of the Party Central Committee, a post he held until his death, and also occupied other key positions which enabled him to build up enormous personal power in the party and government apparatus. After Lenin's death (1924) he pursued a policy of building æsocialism in one countryÆ, and gradually isolated and disgraced his political rivals, notably Trotsky. In 1928 he launched the campaign for the collectivization of agriculture during which millions of peasants perished, and the first 5-year plan for the forced industrialization of the economy. Between 1934 and 1938 he inaugurated a massive purge of the party, government, armed forces, and intelligentsia in which millions of so-called æenemies of the peopleÆ were imprisoned, exiled, or shot. In 1938 he signed the Non-Aggression Pact with Hitler which bought the Soviet Union two years respite from involvement in World War 2. After the German invasion (1941), the USSR became a member of the Grand Alliance, and Stalin, as war leader, assumed the title of generalissimo. He took part in the conferences of Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam which resulted in Soviet military and political control over the liberated countries of post-war E and C Europe. From 1945 until his death he resumed his repressive measures at home, and conducted foreign policies which contributed to the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West. He was posthumously denounced by Khrushchev at the 20th Party Congress (1956) for crimes against the Party and for building a æcult of personalityÆ. Under Gorbachev many of Stalin's victims were rehabilitated, and the whole phenomenon of æStalinismÆ officially condemned by the Soviet authorities. While many regard Stalin as a brutal dictator possibly equalled only by Hitler in the scale of the terror he wreaked, others question whether the Soviet Union would have survived to win victories in World War 2 under a more liberal leader. ® Copyright About.com & Biography.com

'Stolichnaya' $34.45 Sizes: a M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: a 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: a 100% cotton Availability: a ships within 5-7 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in St. Petersburg, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'Stolichnaya' is probably the most popular brand of Russian vodka worldwide. It is known as a smooth premium Russian vodka distilled from winter wheat. The teasing print on the T-shirt displays a high-quality 10.8' x 16.8' (27 x 42 cm) photograph of 'Stoli' and its most traditional village 'zakuska' (snacks). VODKA HISTORY Vodka is derived from the Slavic word 'voda', or as the Polish use 'woda', meaning water. The history of Vodka is ancient, the first documented production of vodka was in Russia at the end of the 9th century, but the first known distillery at, Khylnovsk, was about two hundred years later as reported in the Vyatka Chronicle of 1174. Although Poland claims to have begun distilling vodka earlier, in the 8th century, the first documented Polish vodkas appeared in the 11th century and were called 'gorzalka'. During the Middle Ages, distilled liquor was used mainly for medicinal purposes, as well as being an ingredient in the production of gunpowder. It wouldn't be until the 14th century that Vodka would be recognized formally as a 'drink'. A National Drink In the 14th century a British Ambassador to Moscow first described vodka as the Russian national drink and in the mid-16th century it was established as the national drink in Poland and Finland. In Russia as well, vodka was used frequently as a medicine. In these ancient times, Russia produced many different varieties of 'vodka' or 'hot wine' as it was called. There was 'plain wine' (standard), 'good wine' (improved) and 'boyar wine' (high quality). In addition stronger types existed, distilled two ('double wine') or more times. And since their production methods were crude, vodka often contained impurities, so to mask these the distillers flavored their spirits with things like fruit, herbs or spices. The 15th century saw the first appearance of pot distillation in Russia. Prior to that, seasoning, ageing and freezing were all used to remove impurities, as was precipitiation using isinglass ('karluk') from the air bladders of sturgeons. Distillation became the first step in producing vodka, with the product being improved by precipitation using isinglass, milk or egg white. Around this time (1450) vodka started to be produced in large quantities and the first recorded exports of Russian vodka were to Sweden in 1505. Polish 'woda' exports started a century later, from major production centers in Posnan and Krakow. By 1716, owning a distillery was exclusively saved for the nobility and in 1751 they were granted special rights that entitled them to said ownership. In 1771, the Liebig condenser was invented by German chemist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, vastly improving production and purity. This is very close to the condensing process of today. It was also around the eighteen century that a professor in St. Petersburg discovered a method for purifying alcohol using charcoal filtration. Up to that point, purifying was primarily done with felt or sand. Growing Demand The awareness of vodka continued throughout the 19th century, helped by the presence in many parts of Europe of Russian soldiers involved in various wars on the continent, including the Napoleonic Wars. To meet the growing demand, lower grade products were produced based largely on distilled potato mash. Between the years 1860 and 1890, attempts were made to control production by reducing the number of distilleries from 5,000 to 2,050, but these efforts failed. But in 1894, a law was enacted to make the production and distribution of vodka in Russia a state monopoly. This was both for fiscal reasons and to control the epidemic of drunkenness which the cheap, mass-produced 'vodkas' imported and home-produced, had brought about. It is only at the end of the 19th century, with adoption of a standard production technique and a guarantee of quality, that the name 'vodka' was officially and formally recognized. Vodka Comes to America After the Russian Revolution cerca 1918, the Bolsheviks confiscated all private distilleries in Moscow. As a result, a number of Russian vodka-makers emigrated, taking their skills and recipes with them. One such exile revived his brand in Paris, using the French version of his family name - Smirnoff. Thence, he set up the first vodka distillery there in 1934. This was subsequently sold to a US drinks company. From this small start, vodka began in the 1940s to achieve its wide popularity in the Western World. Vodka is made from neutral spirits, (which are distilled spirits produced from any material at or above 190? proof). Usually it is distilled from grain or potatoes. The end result is ethanol. It is then charcoal filtered, rectified or distilled again to ensure all congeners and taste is removed. In the United States, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' law states that 'Vodka is neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.' The exception to this law is flavored Vodkas. ® Copyright Vodka.com

'Stolichnaya Vodka, Taste of the Victory' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'Stolichnaya' is probably the most popular brand of Russian vodka worldwide. It is known as a smooth premium Russian vodka distilled from winter wheat. This T-shirt ties the drink to the World War II (obviously it was a popular one before and after the battles, at field hospitals, and at funerals of fellow-comrades). The inscription below the wolf says: 'The Taste of Victory!' MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: VODKA HISTORY Vodka is derived from the Slavic word 'voda', or as the Polish use 'woda', meaning water. The history of Vodka is ancient, the first documented production of vodka was in Russia at the end of the 9th century, but the first known distillery at, Khylnovsk, was about two hundred years later as reported in the Vyatka Chronicle of 1174. Although Poland claims to have begun distilling vodka earlier, in the 8th century, the first documented Polish vodkas appeared in the 11th century and were called 'gorzalka'. During the Middle Ages, distilled liquor was used mainly for medicinal purposes, as well as being an ingredient in the production of gunpowder. It wouldn't be until the 14th century that Vodka would be recognized formally as a 'drink'. A National Drink In the 14th century a British Ambassador to Moscow first described vodka as the Russian national drink and in the mid-16th century it was established as the national drink in Poland and Finland. In Russia as well, vodka was used frequently as a medicine. In these ancient times, Russia produced many different varieties of 'vodka' or 'hot wine' as it was called. There was 'plain wine' (standard), 'good wine' (improved) and 'boyar wine' (high quality). In addition stronger types existed, distilled two ('double wine') or more times. And since their production methods were crude, vodka often contained impurities, so to mask these the distillers flavored their spirits with things like fruit, herbs or spices. The 15th century saw the first appearance of pot distillation in Russia. Prior to that, seasoning, ageing and freezing were all used to remove impurities, as was precipitiation using isinglass ('karluk') from the air bladders of sturgeons. Distillation became the first step in producing vodka, with the product being improved by precipitation using isinglass, milk or egg white. Around this time (1450) vodka started to be produced in large quantities and the first recorded exports of Russian vodka were to Sweden in 1505. Polish 'woda' exports started a century later, from major production centers in Posnan and Krakow. By 1716, owning a distillery was exclusively saved for the nobility and in 1751 they were granted special rights that entitled them to said ownership. In 1771, the Liebig condenser was invented by German chemist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, vastly improving production and purity. This is very close to the condensing process of today. It was also around the eighteen century that a professor in St. Petersburg discovered a method for purifying alcohol using charcoal filtration. Up to that point, purifying was primarily done with felt or sand. Growing Demand The awareness of vodka continued throughout the 19th century, helped by the presence in many parts of Europe of Russian soldiers involved in various wars on the continent, including the Napoleonic Wars. To meet the growing demand, lower grade products were produced based largely on distilled potato mash. Between the years 1860 and 1890, attempts were made to control production by reducing the number of distilleries from 5,000 to 2,050, but these efforts failed. But in 1894, a law was enacted to make the production and distribution of vodka in Russia a state monopoly. This was both for fiscal reasons and to control the epidemic of drunkenness which the cheap, mass-produced 'vodkas' imported and home-produced, had brought about. It is only at the end of the 19th century, with adoption of a standard production technique and a guarantee of quality, that the name 'vodka' was officially and formally recognized. Vodka Comes to America After the Russian Revolution cerca 1918, the Bolsheviks confiscated all private distilleries in Moscow. As a result, a number of Russian vodka-makers emigrated, taking their skills and recipes with them. One such exile revived his brand in Paris, using the French version of his family name - Smirnoff. Thence, he set up the first vodka distillery there in 1934. This was subsequently sold to a US drinks company. From this small start, vodka began in the 1940s to achieve its wide popularity in the Western World. Vodka is made from neutral spirits, (which are distilled spirits produced from any material at or above 190? proof). Usually it is distilled from grain or potatoes. The end result is ethanol. It is then charcoal filtered, rectified or distilled again to ensure all congeners and taste is removed. In the United States, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' law states that 'Vodka is neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.' The exception to this law is flavored Vodkas. ® Copyright Vodka.com

'Stolichnaya, the Russian Vodka' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. 'Stolichnaya' is probably the most popular brand of Russian vodka worldwide. It is known as a smooth premium Russian vodka distilled from winter wheat. The print on this T-shirt is self-explanatory as it is one of very few originally English prints on our T-shirts. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: VODKA HISTORY Vodka is derived from the Slavic word 'voda', or as the Polish use 'woda', meaning water. The history of Vodka is ancient, the first documented production of vodka was in Russia at the end of the 9th century, but the first known distillery at, Khylnovsk, was about two hundred years later as reported in the Vyatka Chronicle of 1174. Although Poland claims to have begun distilling vodka earlier, in the 8th century, the first documented Polish vodkas appeared in the 11th century and were called 'gorzalka'. During the Middle Ages, distilled liquor was used mainly for medicinal purposes, as well as being an ingredient in the production of gunpowder. It wouldn't be until the 14th century that Vodka would be recognized formally as a 'drink'. A National Drink In the 14th century a British Ambassador to Moscow first described vodka as the Russian national drink and in the mid-16th century it was established as the national drink in Poland and Finland. In Russia as well, vodka was used frequently as a medicine. In these ancient times, Russia produced many different varieties of 'vodka' or 'hot wine' as it was called. There was 'plain wine' (standard), 'good wine' (improved) and 'boyar wine' (high quality). In addition stronger types existed, distilled two ('double wine') or more times. And since their production methods were crude, vodka often contained impurities, so to mask these the distillers flavored their spirits with things like fruit, herbs or spices. The 15th century saw the first appearance of pot distillation in Russia. Prior to that, seasoning, ageing and freezing were all used to remove impurities, as was precipitiation using isinglass ('karluk') from the air bladders of sturgeons. Distillation became the first step in producing vodka, with the product being improved by precipitation using isinglass, milk or egg white. Around this time (1450) vodka started to be produced in large quantities and the first recorded exports of Russian vodka were to Sweden in 1505. Polish 'woda' exports started a century later, from major production centers in Posnan and Krakow. By 1716, owning a distillery was exclusively saved for the nobility and in 1751 they were granted special rights that entitled them to said ownership. In 1771, the Liebig condenser was invented by German chemist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, vastly improving production and purity. This is very close to the condensing process of today. It was also around the eighteen century that a professor in St. Petersburg discovered a method for purifying alcohol using charcoal filtration. Up to that point, purifying was primarily done with felt or sand. Growing Demand The awareness of vodka continued throughout the 19th century, helped by the presence in many parts of Europe of Russian soldiers involved in various wars on the continent, including the Napoleonic Wars. To meet the growing demand, lower grade products were produced based largely on distilled potato mash. Between the years 1860 and 1890, attempts were made to control production by reducing the number of distilleries from 5,000 to 2,050, but these efforts failed. But in 1894, a law was enacted to make the production and distribution of vodka in Russia a state monopoly. This was both for fiscal reasons and to control the epidemic of drunkenness which the cheap, mass-produced 'vodkas' imported and home-produced, had brought about. It is only at the end of the 19th century, with adoption of a standard production technique and a guarantee of quality, that the name 'vodka' was officially and formally recognized. Vodka Comes to America After the Russian Revolution cerca 1918, the Bolsheviks confiscated all private distilleries in Moscow. As a result, a number of Russian vodka-makers emigrated, taking their skills and recipes with them. One such exile revived his brand in Paris, using the French version of his family name - Smirnoff. Thence, he set up the first vodka distillery there in 1934. This was subsequently sold to a US drinks company. From this small start, vodka began in the 1940s to achieve its wide popularity in the Western World. Vodka is made from neutral spirits, (which are distilled spirits produced from any material at or above 190? proof). Usually it is distilled from grain or potatoes. The end result is ethanol. It is then charcoal filtered, rectified or distilled again to ensure all congeners and taste is removed. In the United States, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' law states that 'Vodka is neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.' The exception to this law is flavored Vodkas. ® Copyright Vodka.com

'SU-27, Russia' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The front print pictures the famous Russian 'SU-27' fighter, a large combat aircraft that is one of the mainstays of Russian air power. The SU-27 was created in response to the development of new Western aircraft, particularly the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. Many call SU-27 one of 'the most impressive Russian fighters'. The words on the front of the T-shirt say: 'SU 27', 'Multi-purpose fighter-bomber', 'RUSSIA'. The back of the T-shirt lists the following specifications of the fighter in Russian: Crew: 1 person Engine: 2 x Klimov RD-33, 81.4kN Wingspan: 12.8 m. Wing area: 37 m. Length: 16.7 m. Height: 4.5 m. Max loaded weight: 26,845 kg. Empty weight: 14,750 kg. Maximum speed: 2,480 km/h Ceiling: 16,000 m. Armament: 30 mm gun, 3,000 kg of hang-up armament MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: SUKHOI SU-27 FLANKER Designed in the late 1960s as a high performance fighter with a fly-by-wire control system, and with the ability to carry up to 10 AAMs, the maneuverable Su-27 was one of the most opposing fighters ever built at the time. The first 'Flanker-A' prototypes flew on May 20, 1977 and entered service as the 'Flanker-B' in 1984. The 'Flanker' has seen a number of aerodynamic changes since, and exists in a variety of forms today. The Su-27IB, or Su-35 designation, is a long range attack variant with side-by-side seating for two. The Su-27UB 'Flanker-C', or Su-30 designation, is a tandem two-seat long range interceptor and trainer. A navalized version called the Su-27K 'Flanker-D', designated Su-33, was designed in 1992 for deployment on Russian aircraft carriers. It has folded wings, retractable flight refueling probe, arrester hook, strengthened landing gear, and moving canard foreplanes. Next generation 'Flanker' derivatives include the Su-35 and the thrust-vector controlled Su-37, both vastly more enhanced then the Su-27, with canard foreplanes and the ability to carry up to 14 external stores.

'T-34, Tank of the Victory' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The front print pictures the famous Soviet 'T-34' tank, successfully used by Soviets in World War II. The inscription under the tank picture says: 'The Tanks of the Victory'. The back of the T-shirt contains two detailed pictures of the tank and the following specifications in Russian: Crew - 4 persons Mass - 30 tons Armour -plating thickness - 70 mm. Maximum speed - 55 km/h Main gun -76.2 mm F-34 Additional machine-gun - 7.62 DT MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: T-34 MEDIUM TANK The T-34 was a technologically innovative design which addressed the short-comings of the earlier BT series of wheel/track tank. The T-34 was developed during the 1936-37 period, the prototype was completed in early 1939, and in September 1940 T-34 was put into series production mounting a 76mm gun. The Model 1940, the first T-34 production variant, t was armed with the L-11 76.2 mm gun, which was considerably shorter than the subsequent F-34 76.2 mm main gun of the 1941 and later models. The mantlet was also round in contrast to the more square mantlets of later models. The tank's main advantage was its simple design which made it easy to mass produce and repair. The T-34 was also small and comparibaly light, while the tank's water-cooled diesel engine minimized the danger of fire and increased the tank's the radius of action. The design overcame the technological superiority of German forces during the Great Patriotic War. Built in Ukraine in the Kharkov Steam-Engine Factory (KhPZ), the German general von Runstedt called the T-34 the 'best tank in the world' and von Kleist said it was the 'finest in the world.' The T-34 had a more powerful cannon than German tanks, a higher top speed (32 MPH versus 25 MPH), and superior sloped armor and superior welded construction. However, the German Tiger and Panther tanks outranged the T34's original 76mm gun, and subsequently a 85mm gun was mounted on a T-34 tank. The T-34/85 was a modification of the T-34 equipped with a more powerful armor and cannon. T-34/85 had a flatter turret which gave this already inovative tank design the look that all tanks adopted after the wars end. Although not equal to the German Panther and Tiger tanks, the huge numbers of T-34s more than compensated for their technological shortcomings. Users: Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, North Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, Vietnam, former Yugoslavia and other CIS states. ® Copyright FAS Military Analysis Network

'USSR' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print is eloquent: red letters 'CCCP' on yellow background. 'CCCP' is a world-known Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union. 'CCCP' has now become a brand of its own, similar to that of 'Che Guevara'. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: 'CCCP' or 'USSR' 'CCCP' is Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union, reading as 'Soy·z SovÚtskikh SotsialistÝcheskikh Resp·blik' (SSSR) or 'The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'. Commonly known as the Soviet Union (SovÚtsky Soy·z), it was a state in much of the northern region of Eurasia that existed from 1922 until 1991. The list of republics in the Soviet Union varied over the time. In its final years it consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.'s). Russia was by far the largest Republic in the Soviet Union, dominating in nearly all respects: land area, population, economic output, and political influence. The territory of the Soviet Union also varied, and in its most recent times approximately corresponded to that of the late Imperial Russia, with notable exclusions of Poland and Finland. The political organization of the country was defined by the only recognized political party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Brief History Revolutionary activity in Russia began with the Decembrist Revolt, uncovered in 1825, and although serfdom was abolished in 1861, its abolition was achieved on terms unfavorable to the peasants and served to encourage revolutionaries. A parliament, the Duma, was established in 1906, but political and social unrest continued and was aggravated during World War I by military defeat and food shortages. The February Revolution and October Revolutions (see also Russian Revolution) were followed by a period of civil war (see Russian Civil War), after which communist control was complete under the Bolsheviks who soon renamed themselves the Communist Party. The collapse of Tsarist rule was followed by the eviction of the landlord class and the subdivision of land among peasant families. Poor and middle peasants generally did not benefit from the latter until Lenin announced the New Economic Policy (NEP), which saw an end to government requisitioning of food during the civil war. Peasants marketed most of their produce at free prices during the years of the NEP. After the death of the Soviet Union's revolutionary founding figure Vladimir Lenin (1924), Joseph Stalin finally emerged as uncontested leader, defeating Leon Trotsky and ultimately having him exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929. Under Stalin, who replaced Lenin's NEP with five year plans and collective farming, the Soviet Union (established 1922) became a major industrial power, but with effective political opposition eliminated during the 1930s by purges. World War II established the Soviet Union as one of the two major world powers, a position maintained for four decades through military strength, aid to developing countries, and scientific research, especially into space technology and weaponry. Growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, its former wartime ally and the other superpower, led to the Cold War. Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev promoted Soviet glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring). A U.S.-Soviet summit meeting in 1986 and 1987 and a meeting of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev in late 1988 brought a reduction in arms in Europe. The disintegration of Communist allies in Eastern Europe heralded the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As the Russian republic's Boris Yeltsin eclipsed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in power, the Soviet Union was peacefully dissolved in December 1991. Most former Soviet republics joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'USSR' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print is eloquent: red letters 'CCCP' on white background. 'CCCP' is a world-known Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union. 'CCCP' has now become a brand of its own, similar to that of 'Che Guevara'. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: 'CCCP' or 'USSR' 'CCCP' is Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union, reading as 'Soy·z SovÚtskikh SotsialistÝcheskikh Resp·blik' (SSSR) or 'The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'. Commonly known as the Soviet Union (SovÚtsky Soy·z), it was a state in much of the northern region of Eurasia that existed from 1922 until 1991. The list of republics in the Soviet Union varied over the time. In its final years it consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.'s). Russia was by far the largest Republic in the Soviet Union, dominating in nearly all respects: land area, population, economic output, and political influence. The territory of the Soviet Union also varied, and in its most recent times approximately corresponded to that of the late Imperial Russia, with notable exclusions of Poland and Finland. The political organization of the country was defined by the only recognized political party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Brief History Revolutionary activity in Russia began with the Decembrist Revolt, uncovered in 1825, and although serfdom was abolished in 1861, its abolition was achieved on terms unfavorable to the peasants and served to encourage revolutionaries. A parliament, the Duma, was established in 1906, but political and social unrest continued and was aggravated during World War I by military defeat and food shortages. The February Revolution and October Revolutions (see also Russian Revolution) were followed by a period of civil war (see Russian Civil War), after which communist control was complete under the Bolsheviks who soon renamed themselves the Communist Party. The collapse of Tsarist rule was followed by the eviction of the landlord class and the subdivision of land among peasant families. Poor and middle peasants generally did not benefit from the latter until Lenin announced the New Economic Policy (NEP), which saw an end to government requisitioning of food during the civil war. Peasants marketed most of their produce at free prices during the years of the NEP. After the death of the Soviet Union's revolutionary founding figure Vladimir Lenin (1924), Joseph Stalin finally emerged as uncontested leader, defeating Leon Trotsky and ultimately having him exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929. Under Stalin, who replaced Lenin's NEP with five year plans and collective farming, the Soviet Union (established 1922) became a major industrial power, but with effective political opposition eliminated during the 1930s by purges. World War II established the Soviet Union as one of the two major world powers, a position maintained for four decades through military strength, aid to developing countries, and scientific research, especially into space technology and weaponry. Growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, its former wartime ally and the other superpower, led to the Cold War. Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev promoted Soviet glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring). A U.S.-Soviet summit meeting in 1986 and 1987 and a meeting of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev in late 1988 brought a reduction in arms in Europe. The disintegration of Communist allies in Eastern Europe heralded the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As the Russian republic's Boris Yeltsin eclipsed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in power, the Soviet Union was peacefully dissolved in December 1991. Most former Soviet republics joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'USSR' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print shows red letters 'CCCP' on yellow background and a large state emblem of the Soviet Union right under them. 'CCCP' is a world-known Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union. The state emblem of the Soviet Union (corresponding to a coat of arms) had the Earth superimposed by the hammer and sickle. Two bundles of corn ears heavily draped with a scroll, reading in all the 15 SSR languages the motto 'Workers of the World, Unite!'; the bundles encircle an earth globe (viewed approx. from the vertical of the Black Sea) showing solid continents and coordinate lines in 20 deg. intervals. On it a hammer and a sickle, crossed per saltire, in naturalistic look. Under the globe a rising sun with alternating long and short rays made of single lines (approx. 30 visible rays); above the globe a red star. In 1936-1946 the soviet state emblem had 11 ribbons (without Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Moldavian) In 1946-1956 - 16 ribbons (15 + Karelian-Finnish) Since 1956 - 15 ribbons. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: 'CCCP' or 'USSR' 'CCCP' is Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union, reading as 'Soy·z SovÚtskikh SotsialistÝcheskikh Resp·blik' (SSSR) or 'The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'. Commonly known as the Soviet Union (SovÚtsky Soy·z), it was a state in much of the northern region of Eurasia that existed from 1922 until 1991. The list of republics in the Soviet Union varied over the time. In its final years it consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.'s). Russia was by far the largest Republic in the Soviet Union, dominating in nearly all respects: land area, population, economic output, and political influence. The territory of the Soviet Union also varied, and in its most recent times approximately corresponded to that of the late Imperial Russia, with notable exclusions of Poland and Finland. The political organization of the country was defined by the only recognized political party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Brief History Revolutionary activity in Russia began with the Decembrist Revolt, uncovered in 1825, and although serfdom was abolished in 1861, its abolition was achieved on terms unfavorable to the peasants and served to encourage revolutionaries. A parliament, the Duma, was established in 1906, but political and social unrest continued and was aggravated during World War I by military defeat and food shortages. The February Revolution and October Revolutions (see also Russian Revolution) were followed by a period of civil war (see Russian Civil War), after which communist control was complete under the Bolsheviks who soon renamed themselves the Communist Party. The collapse of Tsarist rule was followed by the eviction of the landlord class and the subdivision of land among peasant families. Poor and middle peasants generally did not benefit from the latter until Lenin announced the New Economic Policy (NEP), which saw an end to government requisitioning of food during the civil war. Peasants marketed most of their produce at free prices during the years of the NEP. After the death of the Soviet Union's revolutionary founding figure Vladimir Lenin (1924), Joseph Stalin finally emerged as uncontested leader, defeating Leon Trotsky and ultimately having him exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929. Under Stalin, who replaced Lenin's NEP with five year plans and collective farming, the Soviet Union (established 1922) became a major industrial power, but with effective political opposition eliminated during the 1930s by purges. World War II established the Soviet Union as one of the two major world powers, a position maintained for four decades through military strength, aid to developing countries, and scientific research, especially into space technology and weaponry. Growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, its former wartime ally and the other superpower, led to the Cold War. Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev promoted Soviet glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring). A U.S.-Soviet summit meeting in 1986 and 1987 and a meeting of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev in late 1988 brought a reduction in arms in Europe. The disintegration of Communist allies in Eastern Europe heralded the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As the Russian republic's Boris Yeltsin eclipsed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in power, the Soviet Union was peacefully dissolved in December 1991. Most former Soviet republics joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'USSR' T-Shirt $30.95 Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54, 54+ Colors: red Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print is eloquent: white letters 'CCCP' on red background. 'CCCP' is a world-known Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union. 'CCCP' has now become a brand of its own, similar to that of 'Che Guevara'. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: 'CCCP' or 'USSR' 'CCCP' is Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union, reading as 'Soy·z SovÚtskikh SotsialistÝcheskikh Resp·blik' (SSSR) or 'The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'. Commonly known as the Soviet Union (SovÚtsky Soy·z), it was a state in much of the northern region of Eurasia that existed from 1922 until 1991. The list of republics in the Soviet Union varied over the time. In its final years it consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.'s). Russia was by far the largest Republic in the Soviet Union, dominating in nearly all respects: land area, population, economic output, and political influence. The territory of the Soviet Union also varied, and in its most recent times approximately corresponded to that of the late Imperial Russia, with notable exclusions of Poland and Finland. The political organization of the country was defined by the only recognized political party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Brief History Revolutionary activity in Russia began with the Decembrist Revolt, uncovered in 1825, and although serfdom was abolished in 1861, its abolition was achieved on terms unfavorable to the peasants and served to encourage revolutionaries. A parliament, the Duma, was established in 1906, but political and social unrest continued and was aggravated during World War I by military defeat and food shortages. The February Revolution and October Revolutions (see also Russian Revolution) were followed by a period of civil war (see Russian Civil War), after which communist control was complete under the Bolsheviks who soon renamed themselves the Communist Party. The collapse of Tsarist rule was followed by the eviction of the landlord class and the subdivision of land among peasant families. Poor and middle peasants generally did not benefit from the latter until Lenin announced the New Economic Policy (NEP), which saw an end to government requisitioning of food during the civil war. Peasants marketed most of their produce at free prices during the years of the NEP. After the death of the Soviet Union's revolutionary founding figure Vladimir Lenin (1924), Joseph Stalin finally emerged as uncontested leader, defeating Leon Trotsky and ultimately having him exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929. Under Stalin, who replaced Lenin's NEP with five year plans and collective farming, the Soviet Union (established 1922) became a major industrial power, but with effective political opposition eliminated during the 1930s by purges. World War II established the Soviet Union as one of the two major world powers, a position maintained for four decades through military strength, aid to developing countries, and scientific research, especially into space technology and weaponry. Growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, its former wartime ally and the other superpower, led to the Cold War. Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev promoted Soviet glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring). A U.S.-Soviet summit meeting in 1986 and 1987 and a meeting of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev in late 1988 brought a reduction in arms in Europe. The disintegration of Communist allies in Eastern Europe heralded the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As the Russian republic's Boris Yeltsin eclipsed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in power, the Soviet Union was peacefully dissolved in December 1991. Most former Soviet republics joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'USSR. Coat of Arms' T-Shirt $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print shows white letters 'CCCP' on red background and a small state emblem of the Soviet Union right under them. 'CCCP' is a world-known Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union. The state emblem of the Soviet Union (corresponding to a coat of arms) had the Earth superimposed by the hammer and sickle. Two bundles of corn ears heavily draped with a scroll, reading in all the 15 SSR languages the motto 'Workers of the World, Unite!'; the bundles encircle an earth globe (viewed approx. from the vertical of the Black Sea) showing solid continents and coordinate lines in 20 deg. intervals. On it a hammer and a sickle, crossed per saltire, in naturalistic look. Under the globe a rising sun with alternating long and short rays made of single lines (approx. 30 visible rays); above the globe a red star. In 1936-1946 the soviet state emblem had 11 ribbons (without Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Moldavian) In 1946-1956 - 16 ribbons (15 + Karelian-Finnish) Since 1956 - 15 ribbons. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: 'CCCP' or 'USSR' 'CCCP' is Latin graphical rendition of the Russian acronym for the Soviet Union, reading as 'Soy·z SovÚtskikh SotsialistÝcheskikh Resp·blik' (SSSR) or 'The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'. Commonly known as the Soviet Union (SovÚtsky Soy·z), it was a state in much of the northern region of Eurasia that existed from 1922 until 1991. The list of republics in the Soviet Union varied over the time. In its final years it consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.'s). Russia was by far the largest Republic in the Soviet Union, dominating in nearly all respects: land area, population, economic output, and political influence. The territory of the Soviet Union also varied, and in its most recent times approximately corresponded to that of the late Imperial Russia, with notable exclusions of Poland and Finland. The political organization of the country was defined by the only recognized political party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Brief History Revolutionary activity in Russia began with the Decembrist Revolt, uncovered in 1825, and although serfdom was abolished in 1861, its abolition was achieved on terms unfavorable to the peasants and served to encourage revolutionaries. A parliament, the Duma, was established in 1906, but political and social unrest continued and was aggravated during World War I by military defeat and food shortages. The February Revolution and October Revolutions (see also Russian Revolution) were followed by a period of civil war (see Russian Civil War), after which communist control was complete under the Bolsheviks who soon renamed themselves the Communist Party. The collapse of Tsarist rule was followed by the eviction of the landlord class and the subdivision of land among peasant families. Poor and middle peasants generally did not benefit from the latter until Lenin announced the New Economic Policy (NEP), which saw an end to government requisitioning of food during the civil war. Peasants marketed most of their produce at free prices during the years of the NEP. After the death of the Soviet Union's revolutionary founding figure Vladimir Lenin (1924), Joseph Stalin finally emerged as uncontested leader, defeating Leon Trotsky and ultimately having him exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929. Under Stalin, who replaced Lenin's NEP with five year plans and collective farming, the Soviet Union (established 1922) became a major industrial power, but with effective political opposition eliminated during the 1930s by purges. World War II established the Soviet Union as one of the two major world powers, a position maintained for four decades through military strength, aid to developing countries, and scientific research, especially into space technology and weaponry. Growing tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, its former wartime ally and the other superpower, led to the Cold War. Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev promoted Soviet glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring). A U.S.-Soviet summit meeting in 1986 and 1987 and a meeting of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev in late 1988 brought a reduction in arms in Europe. The disintegration of Communist allies in Eastern Europe heralded the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As the Russian republic's Boris Yeltsin eclipsed Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in power, the Soviet Union was peacefully dissolved in December 1991. Most former Soviet republics joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. ® Copyright Wikipedia.org

'Views of Moscow' $30.95 Sizes: M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: 100% cotton Availability: ships within 5-7 business days Origin: Russian Federation This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The print shows various Moscow cathedrals located in the city center. The central place in the print is, of course, occupied by the world-famous St. Basil's Cathedral that stands on the Red Square in Moscow with a bronze Statue to Minin and Pozharsky in front of it (read the story below for more details). The sun is shining from behind the cloud, symbolizing the victory of light over darkness. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: St. BASIL'S CATHEDRAL The famous St. Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built on the edge of Red Square between 1555 and 1561. Legend has it that on completion of the church the Tsar ordered the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, to be blinded to prevent him from ever creating anything to rival its beauty again. (He did in fact go on to build another cathedral in Vladimir despite his ocular impediment!) The cathedral was built to commemorate Ivan the Terrible's successful military campaign against the Tartar Mongols in 1552 in the besieged city of Kazan. Victory came on the feast day of the Intercession of the Virgin, so the Tsar chose to name his new church the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat, after the moat that ran beside the Kremlin. The church was given the nickname 'St. Basil's' after the 'holy fool' Basil the Blessed (1468-1552), who was hugely popular at that time with the Muscovites masses and even with Ivan the Terrible himself. St. Basil's was built on the site of the earlier Trinity Cathedral, which at one point gave its name to the neighboring square. St. Basil's is a delightful array of swirling colors and redbrick towers. Its design comprises nine individual chapels, each topped with a unique onion dome and each commemorating a victorious assault on the city of Kazan. In 1588 the ninth chapel was erected to house the tomb of the church's namesake, Basil the Blessed. The church's design is based on deep religious symbolism and was meant to be an architectural representation of the New Jerusalem - the Heavenly Kingdom described in the Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine. The eight onion dome-topped towers are positioned around a central, ninth spire, forming an eight-point star. The number eight carries great religious significance; it denotes the day of Christ's Resurrection (the eighth day by the ancient Jewish calendar) and the promised Heavenly Kingdom - the kingdom of the eighth century, which will begin after the second coming of Christ. The eight-point star itself symbolizes the Christian Church as a guiding light to mankind, showing us the way to the Heavenly Jerusalem and it represents the Virgin Mary, depicted in Orthodox iconography with a veil decorated with three eight-pointed stars. The cathedral's star-like plan carries yet more meaning - the star consisting of two superimposed squares, which represent the stability of faith, the four corners of the earth, the four Evangelists and the four equal-sided walls of the Heavenly City. The extravagant and brightly colored domes of the cathedral's exterior mask a much more modestly decorated and somewhat less spectacular interior. Small dimly lit chapels and maze-like corridors fill the inside of the church and the walls are covered with delicate floral designs in subdued pastel colors dating from the 17th century. Visitors can climb up a narrow, wooden spiral staircase, set in one of the walls and discovered only in the 1970s during restoration work, and marvel at the Chapel of the Intercession's priceless iconostasis, dating back to the 16th century. There was so little room inside the church to accommodate worshippers, that on special feast days services were held outside on Red Square where the clergy communicated their sermons to the milling masses from Lobnoye Mesto, using St. Basil's as an outdoor altar. The church has narrowly escaped destruction a number of times during the city's tumultuous history. Legend has it that Napoleon was so impressed with St. Basil's that he wanted to take it back to Paris with him, but lacking to the technology to do so, ordered instead that it be destroyed with the French retreat from the city. The French set up kegs of gunpowder and lit their fuses, but a sudden, miraculous shower helped to extinguish the fuses and prevent the explosion. Early in this century the cathedral almost fell prey to the atheist principles of the Bolshevik regime. In 1918 the communist authorities shot the church's senior priest, Ioann Vostorgov, confiscated its property, melted down its bells and closed the cathedral down. In the 1930s Lazar Kaganovich, a close colleague of Stalin and director of the Red Square reconstruction plan, suggested that St. Basil's be knocked down to create space and ease the movement of public parades and vehicle movement on the square. Thankfully Stalin rejected his proposal as he did a second plan to destroy the cathedral. This time the courage of the architect and devotee of Russian culture, P. Baranovsky, saved the church. When ordered to prepare the cathedral for destruction he refused and threatened to cut his own throat on the steps of the church, then sent a bluntly worded telegram to the leader of the party himself relating the above. For some reason Stalin cancelled the decision to knock the church down and for his efforts Baranovsky was rewarded with five years in jail. An extensive program of renovation is still being carries out on both the exterior and interior of the church, but will not spoil that essential visit to St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow's moat famous and arguably most beautiful ecclesiastical building. In the small garden outside St. Basil's stands an impressive bronze Statue to Minin and Pozharsky, who rallied Russia's volunteer army during the Time of Troubles and drove out the invading Polish forces. They were an interesting duo - Dmitry Pozharsky was a prince, while Kuzma Minin was a butcher from Nizhny Novgorod. The statue was designed by the artist I. Martos and erected in 1818 as the city's first monumental sculpture. It originally stood in the center of Red Square in front of what is now the GUM Department Store, with Minin symbolically indicating to Pozharsky that the Poles were occupying the Kremlin and calling for its liberation. The Soviet authorities felt that the statue had become an obstacle during parades and after the construction of the Lenin Mausoleum Red Square, its position was considered rather ambiguous and was eventually moved to the garden in front of St. Basil's in 1936. ® Copyright Moscow-Taxi.com

'We Will Come to Abundance' $34.45 Authentic Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in Moscow, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. Print based on the famous Soviet poster of Stalin era.

'Zhostovo Style' $34.45 Sizes: a M (Medium), L (Large), XL (X-Large) Metric: a 46-48, 48-50, 52-54 Consists of: a 100% cotton Availability: a ships within 5-7 business days Origin: a Russian Federation a This is an original Russian T-shirt. Screen printed in St. Petersburg, Russia. Manufactured of 5.1 oz. fabric - luxuriously soft 100% cotton ring-spun yarn with double-needle coverseamed neck. The T-shirt print is a high-quality professional 10.8' x 16.8' (27 x 42 cm) photo of 'Tsarskaya Sloboda' (Tzar's Freedom) vodka, Zhostovo tray, and Russian 'zakuska' (snacks) on Khokhloma-style plate and bowl (vodka is in Khokhloma-style shots as well). VODKA HISTORY Vodka is derived from the Slavic word 'voda', or as the Polish use 'woda', meaning water. The history of Vodka is ancient, the first documented production of vodka was in Russia at the end of the 9th century, but the first known distillery at, Khylnovsk, was about two hundred years later as reported in the Vyatka Chronicle of 1174. Although Poland claims to have begun distilling vodka earlier, in the 8th century, the first documented Polish vodkas appeared in the 11th century and were called 'gorzalka'. During the Middle Ages, distilled liquor was used mainly for medicinal purposes, as well as being an ingredient in the production of gunpowder. It wouldn't be until the 14th century that Vodka would be recognized formally as a 'drink'. A National Drink In the 14th century a British Ambassador to Moscow first described vodka as the Russian national drink and in the mid-16th century it was established as the national drink in Poland and Finland. In Russia as well, vodka was used frequently as a medicine. In these ancient times, Russia produced many different varieties of 'vodka' or 'hot wine' as it was called. There was 'plain wine' (standard), 'good wine' (improved) and 'boyar wine' (high quality). In addition stronger types existed, distilled two ('double wine') or more times. And since their production methods were crude, vodka often contained impurities, so to mask these the distillers flavored their spirits with things like fruit, herbs or spices. The 15th century saw the first appearance of pot distillation in Russia. Prior to that, seasoning, ageing and freezing were all used to remove impurities, as was precipitiation using isinglass ('karluk') from the air bladders of sturgeons. Distillation became the first step in producing vodka, with the product being improved by precipitation using isinglass, milk or egg white. Around this time (1450) vodka started to be produced in large quantities and the first recorded exports of Russian vodka were to Sweden in 1505. Polish 'woda' exports started a century later, from major production centers in Posnan and Krakow. By 1716, owning a distillery was exclusively saved for the nobility and in 1751 they were granted special rights that entitled them to said ownership. In 1771, the Liebig condenser was invented by German chemist Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, vastly improving production and purity. This is very close to the condensing process of today. It was also around the eighteen century that a professor in St. Petersburg discovered a method for purifying alcohol using charcoal filtration. Up to that point, purifying was primarily done with felt or sand. Growing Demand The awareness of vodka continued throughout the 19th century, helped by the presence in many parts of Europe of Russian soldiers involved in various wars on the continent, including the Napoleonic Wars. To meet the growing demand, lower grade products were produced based largely on distilled potato mash. Between the years 1860 and 1890, attempts were made to control production by reducing the number of distilleries from 5,000 to 2,050, but these efforts failed. But in 1894, a law was enacted to make the production and distribution of vodka in Russia a state monopoly. This was both for fiscal reasons and to control the epidemic of drunkenness which the cheap, mass-produced 'vodkas' imported and home-produced, had brought about. It is only at the end of the 19th century, with adoption of a standard production technique and a guarantee of quality, that the name 'vodka' was officially and formally recognized. Vodka Comes to America After the Russian Revolution cerca 1918, the Bolsheviks confiscated all private distilleries in Moscow. As a result, a number of Russian vodka-makers emigrated, taking their skills and recipes with them. One such exile revived his brand in Paris, using the French version of his family name - Smirnoff. Thence, he set up the first vodka distillery there in 1934. This was subsequently sold to a US drinks company. From this small start, vodka began in the 1940s to achieve its wide popularity in the Western World. Vodka is made from neutral spirits, (which are distilled spirits produced from any material at or above 190? proof). Usually it is distilled from grain or potatoes. The end result is ethanol. It is then charcoal filtered, rectified or distilled again to ensure all congeners and taste is removed. In the United States, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' law states that 'Vodka is neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.' The exception to this law is flavored Vodkas. ® Copyright Vodka.com

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