grand duchy of moscow

Capital and largest city of Russia, located in the west-central region on the Moscow River; Russia's economic and cultural center.

Note: The Kremlin, Russia's political and administrative headquarters, is at the center of the city. Adjoining the Kremlin is Red Square.

Note: Its landmarks and institutions include the tomb of Lenin, the University of Moscow, Gorki Central Park, and the Bolshoi Ballet Theater.

Note: In 1991, hundreds of thousands of Muscovites, led by Boris Yeltsin, rallied against a coup that had overthrown reformist president Mikhail Gorbachev, resulting in the defeat of the coup plotters, the end of the communist system, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.