©
Tim Wang
Russia Travel Guide
©
Tim Wang
An ex-republic of the former USSR, Russia is a country that still exerts a strong influence on the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, especially in the realm of politics of course, but also in the cultural domain, thanks to those Russian stars whose fame extends beyond national borders.
When discussing Russian sports stars, one name that immediately springs to mind is that of Maria Sharapova, the famous 28-year-old tennis player who has won five Grand Slam titles, been recognised as Russia's most popular celebrity, and who earned over $29 million between June 2014 and June 2015. She is also thepersonalitymostoften mentionedintheRussian media and the highest-paid female athlete in the world.
The ice hockey player Alexander Ovechkin, sometimes referred to as "Alexander the Great" (in reference to Peter the Great) or even as "The Tsar", is another famous Russian sporting celebrity. At 26 years old, this left winger, who now plays for the Washington Capitals in the NHL after beginning his career with HC Dynamo Moscow, is as well-known for his exuberant, joyous celebrations as he is for the number of victories he has achieved. His earnings are estimated to be in the region of 15 million dollars per year.
Due to their status as celebrated sports stars in Russia, both Sharapova and Ovechkin played prominent roles at the Sochi Winter Olympics, with the former carrying the Russian flag at the opening ceremony and the latter the first Russian to carry the Olympic torch.
One of the undoubted stars of Russian music is Alla Pugacheva, a 66-year-old variety singer who (as you'll discover for yourself when you visit Russia) continues to enjoy tremendous popularity across the whole of Russia and as far as the former Soviet Bloc countries to this day. In fact she has also had a career outside Russia too, having both sung at festivals and toured in the United States, Europe and even Japan.
ButthebiggestRussian music star ofrecentyears is a man known as Stas Mikhaylov, who has a net worth of 21 million dollars and has taken the musical world by storm, especially online. Other names to mention are Nikolay Baskov, who attracts fans from both the worlds of classical and popular music, and Grigory Leps, who recently found himself at the centre of a controversy when the US Department of Treasury decided to place him on their blacklist.
Unsurprisingly, given that he's also recognised to be one of the most powerful men on the planet – even rivaling Barack Obama in recent years – and has been at the heart of a significant number of controversies, Vladimir Putin is one politician who has had a huge influence on Russian internal politics, as well as confirming his intention to strengthen Russia's influence in the wider world.
