We started a new Society section on the site around the time of the State Duma elections. Little did we know that our politicians and compatriots would provide so much food for thought - for us, as well as the larger world. First, there were the compromised Duma elections, then the presidential elections that spurred a whole new wave of social unrest. Then in April 3 members of Pussy Riot band were detained and kept in prison until August 17, when they were eventually found guilty of hooliganism and inciting religious hatred. The world watches as the girls are about to spend 2 years serving in the general colony, while Madonna faces charges and a possibility of becoming a persona non grata in Russia.

Our Society and Politics editor, Julia Alieva, is doing her absolute best at keeping you abreast of these developments. She was also responsible for articles with "in Soviet Russia" demotivators which some of you enjoyed, so give her big kudos!

Our #1 person on the site, Evgeny, visited London during the Olympics and enjoyed it massively. In his words, it was an absolutely unforgettable event. Apart from the organisation and performance of the UK as the host, it could hardly be different, especially thanks to the Russian volleyball team's unexpected last-minute win. We carefully followed the Olympics, and you can refresh your memory of the Russian wins and losses via this tag.

We have two additions to our team, as well. Anna Dorozhkina contributed articles to Travel&Transportation section, bringing you the best of co-workings, lofts, shared office space, eat-and-work cafes - in short, the places in Moscow and St. Petersburg where you can find Wi-Fi, food, and meeting space without breaking a bank. Thanks to Anna, too, there are now two articles that will please shopaholics visiting Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, and Yekaterinburg, the capital city of the Urals Region. Turns out, there are more shopping centres in both cities than meet the eye.

And because life is good at Russia-InfoCentre, and we were fortunate to find people genuinely passionate about the project, sometimes our former team members come back. Mikhail Vesely came primarily as a Feature Editor on Business and Law section and a contributor to Sport section. You could already read many of his articles on Russia's gold reserves, the WTO membership, and the London Olympics' 1980s overtones.

Last but not least, our Culture and Arts editors, Vera and Mikhail Manykins, continue doing a great job enlightening the readers and visitors on various aspects of Russian culture and contributing biographies of great Russian people. Their article on Vegetarianism in Russia, accompanied by Leo Tolstoy's seminal essay in English and Russian, was uploaded to Scribd:

Leo Tolstoy - The First Step (1892)

As for what lies waiting down the line. No doubt, there will be more news from the political front, as #PussyRiot defense plan to appeal. Many observers casually predict financial, economic, and social upheaval this autumn in Russia, so we'll keep you updated (although we hope nothing turns so serious!)

There will also be several events: Moscow Automotive Salon, Moscow Design Week, JUNWEX Moscow, Advertising Fair, Moscow Tourism Fair, to which many of us plan to go. Moreover, some of us are getting to travel a bit more frequently, keen to share the history, landscapes, and info about Russian customs, traditions, and events. Watch this space!

To help you keep an eye on our activities, we can offer you our Facebook page where we regularly change cover photos featuring Russia, our famous people, and events. Our Twitter feed contains links to Facebook stories and articles that have already been contributed to the site. We're also exploring Google+, and since the news feed we've also created a feature feed. And we continue putting famous Russians on the map.

Your Russia-IC team.