Russia is the largest country in the world, spanning 11 time zones and encompassing a rich history, diverse culture, and beautiful landscapes. From Moscow’s Red Square to the icy terrain of Siberia, Russia has inspired curiosity and wonder. Riddles provide a fun and challenging way to test your knowledge about this captivating country.
In this article, we have gathered 59 riddles about Russia covering topics like geography, leaders, literature, traditions, and more. Some may require you to think outside the box while others have clever plays on words. How many can you get right? Scroll down to check your answers and expand your understanding of Russia!
Riddles about Russian Geography
1. What is the world’s largest lake that sits on the border between Russia and Kazakhstan?
Answer: Lake Baikal
2. Stretching nearly 2,000 miles west to east, what is Russia’s longest river that flows from central Russia all the way to the Caspian Sea?
Answer: The Volga River
3. What Siberian river is known for being completely frozen for long periods during winter?
Answer: The Lena River
4. Surrounded by Russia, what body of water links the North Atlantic with the Arctic Ocean?
Answer: The Barents Sea
5. What mountain range stretches 1,200 miles through Siberia along Russia’s southern border with Mongolia and China?
Answer: The Sayan Mountains
Riddles about Russian Leaders
6. Which Russian leader famously gave President Kennedy a puppy named Pushinka?
Answer: Nikita Khrushchev
7. Which Soviet leader launched reforms aimed at increased openness and transparency known as glasnost and perestroika?
Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev
8. Who was the first female ruler of Russia known for continuing Peter the Great’s efforts to westernize Russia?
Answer: Catherine the Great
9. Which leader of the Soviet Union oversaw the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957?
Answer: Nikita Khrushchev
10. Who was the founder of the Russian Communist Party and first leader of the Soviet Union?
Answer: Vladimir Lenin
Riddles about Russian Literature
11. Often considered Russia’s national epic, what lengthy novel in verse consists of over 500 Russian folk tales and pagan poems?
Answer: Eugene Onegin
12. Who wrote the novels Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov set in 19th century St. Petersburg?
Answer: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
13. What classic Russian novella follows a landowner’s existential and spiritual crisis?
Answer: The Death of Ivan Ilyich
14. Who penned plays like The Cherry Orchard and Three Sisters in early 20th century Russia?
Answer: Anton Chekhov
15. Which satirical novel by Mikhail Bulgakov that critiques Soviet society was banned in Russia until the late 1980s?
Answer: The Master and Margarita
Riddles about Russian Traditions
16. In Orthodox Easter celebrations, what food is traditionally eaten at the end of Lent to break the fast?
Answer: Paskha cake
17. What pickled vegetable is a staple side dish served with meat or fish in Russia?
Answer: Pickled cucumbers
18. As a Slavic ritual to welcome spring, what effigy is burned in bonfires in some Russian villages?
Answer: A straw Maslenitsa Lady
19. What flowering bush branches are used to make a traditional Russian broom to sweep away evil spirits and welcome prosperity?
Answer: Birch tree branches
20. In Russian tea culture, how is tea traditionally served – with sugar, honey, jam, or lemon?
Answer: With sugar
Riddles about Russian Culture
21. As a symbol featured on the coat of arms of Moscow, what mythical fire-breathing creature represents power and ferocity?
Answer: The Zilant dragon
22. What type of carved wooden doll wearing colorful peasant clothes is a popular Russian folk craft?
Answer: Matryoshka nesting doll
23. With onion-shaped domes atop colored tiles, what style of architecture originated in 16th century Russia?
Answer: Russian Revival architecture
24. What intricate style of embroidery using stitching on canvas or linen flourished in Russia beginning in the 10th century?
Answer: Russian cross-stitch
25. As a symbol seen in Russian fine arts, what bird represents guidance, protection, and wisdom?
Answer: The firebird
Riddles about Russian Cities
26. Nicknamed the “Venice of the North” for its canals, what second largest Russian city sits near the Baltic Sea?
Answer: St. Petersburg
27. Located on the Moskva River, what hill in Moscow is known for its elaborate fortified walls and iconic towers?
Answer: The Kremlin
28. Surrounded by 11 time zones, what Asian port city on the Sea of Japan is Russia’s gateway to the Pacific Ocean?
Answer: Vladivostok
29. Situated where the Volga and Oka Rivers meet, what city is considered Russia’s “Golden Ring” for its preserved monasteries and cathedrals?
Answer: Yaroslavl
30. Home to over 100 cathedrals and monasteries, what historic city on the Neva River delta has been called the “Russian Jerusalem”?
Answer: Pskov
Riddles about the Russian Language
31. Derived from Cryllic script, what backwards R represents a sound like the “h” in hi or hill in Russian?
Answer: The letter Г (Ghe)
32. Used to describe cute pets and children, what Russian word starting with Z means “tiny” or “teeny-weeny”?
Answer: Zaychik
33. Traditionally given to the eldest son, what Russian name means “regal” or “royal”?
Answer: Tsar
34. In Russian folk tales, what peasant housekeeper uses magic to accomplish chores and defeat enemies?
Answer: Baba Yaga
35. Fittingly named for a 1925 Eisenstein film, what Russian word for “stairs” or “steps” starts with the letter P?
Answer: Potemkin
Riddles about Historical Russia
36. Lasting over 200 years, what era saw Russia rapidly expand and modernize into a major European power until 1917?
Answer: The Imperial Era
37. Led by Ivan the Terrible, what era from 1547–1584 saw the creation of Russia’s first czarist autocracy?
Answer: The Grand Duchy of Moscow
38. Lasting three decades, what Soviet policy tried to severely restrict religion, resulting in destruction of churches and priest arrests?
Answer: Stalin’s antireligious campaign
39.What 7 year plan began in 1928 aimed to transform Soviet Russia from an agrarian to industrial economy?
Answer: Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan
40. What historic 988 AD event saw Prince Vladimir the Great baptised, leading Orthodoxy to become Russia’s main religion?
Answer: The Christianisation of Kievan Rus’
Riddles about Russian Music and Dance
41. Derived from peasant circle dances, what energetic Russian folk dance has dancers kicking out their legs while holding hands?
Answer: Cossack dance
42. Used in Russian folk music, what triangular accordion is played button side down with the right hand?
Answer: The bayan
43. Meaning “little apple”, what Russian term names the bright and brisk tempo required to perform a traditional dance?
Answer: Yablochko
44. Considered one of Russia’s most famous ballets, what 1892 Tchaikovsky composition is based on a German fairy tale?
Answer: The Nutcracker
45. Traditionally played on a semitone accordion, what Russian folk tunes have whimsical yet sorrowful melodies?
Answer: Bylina ballads
Riddles about Russian Food and Drink
46. A savory pie stuffed with meat and rice, what is the most popular Russian fast food?
Answer: Pirozhki
47. Served with meat, fish, and pasta dishes, what Russian light mustard has a base of brined zucchini and other vegetables?
Answer: Russian mustard
48. Derived from kvass bread, what traditional Russian non-alcoholic fizzy drink is made from fermented rye flour?
Answer: Kvass
49. Named after the Russian word for birds, what gelatinous meat aspic is often served in triangles decorated with vegetables?
Answer: Kholodets
50. Made with tvorog cheese and typically eaten for breakfast, what sweet farmer’s cheese fritters are a beloved Russian dish?
Answer: Syrniki
Riddles about Russian Innovations
51. Invented in Russia in the 1960s, what absorbent synthetic quartz material is used in chromatography separation techniques?
Answer: Zeolite
52. In 1903, what Russian immunologist won a Nobel Prize for developing a diphtheria antitoxin used to treat the bacterial infection?
Answer: Ilya Mechnikov
53. Used to transmit radio waves long distances, what electrical device was invented in 1895 by Russian scientist Alexander Popov?
Answer: The radio antenna
54. Created by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, what 1869 concept categorizes elements by atomic weight and chemical properties?
Answer: The periodic table of elements
55. Developed by Russian mathematician Mikhail Gromov, what nonlinear partial differential equation describes the curvature of space time in general relativity?
Answer: The Gromov invariants
Riddles about the Russian Military
56. First manufactured in 1939, what rifle features a folding bolt handle and became one of Russia’s most mass produced weapons?
Answer: The Mosin-Nagant
57. Nicknamed the “flying tank”, what heavily armored ground attack aircraft was introduced in WWII by the Soviet Air Forces?
Answer: The Ilyushin Il-2
58.Used in WWII, what nickname was given to female Soviet bomber pilots known for night harassment bombing of German positions?
Answer: The Night Witches
59. Fielded in the late 1950s as the most widely deployed tank in history, what Soviet medium battle tank weighed 40 tons and had a 115mm gun?
Answer: The T-62 main battle tank
Conclusion
How did you fare with these riddles about the world’s largest country? Russia’s vast landscape, complex history, and distinct culture offer so much to discover. Whether you got stumped or found them easy to solve, these puzzles likely revealed some fascinating new insights. Let us know if you have any other fun Russia riddles for our next round! From the icy tundra to blazing firebirds, this land of Tsars and Matryoshkas dolls never ceases to intrigue.
