The darkest page of the Hermitage's history coincided with the most difficult challenge that its hometown St. Petersburg has ever faced in the 20th century â“ World War II. Known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, it lasted from June 1941 till May 1945. </p>

// Nov. 08, 2014 - 22:00 GMT

Russian shares are currently the cheapest among major emerging markets, and have been so for quite a while already, while the current geopolitical crisis over Ukraine and related economic sanctions have caused another serious selloff.

// Oct. 20, 2014 - 21:00 GMT

Russiaâ™s financial sector is becoming increasingly affected by the current geopolitical tensions and related economic sanctions. The sanctions led to increased volatility on the foreign exchange market and a significant depreciation of Russiaâ™s national currency. </p>

// Oct. 17, 2014 - 21:00 GMT

As Western sanctions are enhancing an existing slowdown, most forecasts say that the Russian economy will grow by just half a percent this year. This effectively means stagnation, which analysts note is likely to last for more than a year.

// Oct. 16, 2014 - 21:00 GMT

With sanctions weighing on business sentiment, Russiaâ™s economy has been losing loads of capital this year. Capital flight from Russia is now dominated by heightened uncertainty and a depreciating ruble. </p>

// Oct. 15, 2014 - 21:00 GMT

Despite the general impression that the Islamic State has just recently emerged in the heart of the Middle East, in reality the radical movement has been around for nearly a decade under different names.

// Oct. 06, 2014 - 18:25 GMT

The North-Eastern African country of Somalia is infamous for its ongoing civil war, social turbulence and widespread piracy. The country is also home to one of the most radical and hard-core Islamist groups in the region.

// Sep. 16, 2014 - 18:00 GMT