what did the Russians ever do for us?

Well apart from thus obvious things like architecture, monuments and huge military squares, there are the transport modes.

Zaisan Monument

not everyday you see a T34

I promise a better picture soon - forerunner of the Mitsubishi Delica?

Old Russian vehicles for the backbone of the tourist fleet with the vehicle above being renowned for being able to go anywhere and be fixable with bailing wire and sticky tape. There are jeep versions looking remarkably like early Lada jeeps (unsurprisingly) but they are less common being only able to seat 4 and they do have a reputation for overheating in the summer when most of the tourists are here.

Below someone converted a Russian box van to a genuine camper complete with bed and ger stove providing heat and cooking facilities.

I wonder if he'd consider selling!

But perhaps their biggest contribution is with the candy!
There are great bags of candy in all the stores.

You are never quite sure what kind of sweets you are getting but few are unpleasant and some are really good.

Ah - yes - they were very good