85 meters tall – if you count the sword, and why wouldn’t you? But even without the weapon, The Motherland Calls! still stands a respectable and awe-inspiring 52 meters tall. Its location (since 1967) is Volgograd ( Волгоград, formerly Stalingrad), where else?

Whatever your opinion may be of Russia’s president, his language is excellent material for learning. He expresses himself clearly, but with sentences that are not simple or impoverished — something not all presidents manage, even in their own language. While the language isn’t always easy and may not be ideal for beginners, there are subtitles and explanations available, and it’s about more than just language alone.