Drone Videos of Southern Russia

Top AirVūz contributors and pilots DroneProduction.ru take us on a fantastic journey over the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia to see the autumn colors during sunset. Filmed just a bit to the northeast of the Black Sea city of Sochi,  this aerial film offers breathtaking sights of the Krasnaya Polyana, area which was hosted numerous skiing and snowboarding venues for the 2014 Winter Olympics.  This video was selected as a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week in in October of 2020.

While Russia spans a vast area of over 17.1 million square km (around 6.6 million square mi.), many would agree that the country's most spectacular natural scenery can be found in the Caucasus Mountains, which lie in the southern part of the country and form the boundary between Europe and Asia.  For those not familiar with Russian geography, this spectacular drone video by top AirVuz contributor DiamondSky will help convince you.  This DVOW nominated video combines footage from a DJI Phantom 4 Pro with ground camera footage.  

Vitaliy.karpovich is one of the top content creators in the AirVuz community, with multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month wins and nominations to his name.  In this magnificent piece, he used a drone to film a small herd of horses ascending the famous White Rock (Aq Qaya), a chalk formation in the Crimea region of Southern Russia.  The top of the rock rises to a height of about 100 meters (around 330 ft.) over the Biyuk-Karasu River.  The unique shape of the rock is a function of the unusual erosion patterns of the region.  

Check out this stunning drone video of the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea, compliments of contributor sinaysky. The oddly-shaped landform is connected to Ukraine by the narrow Isthmus of Perekop to the north.  It's now also connected to the Kuban region of Russia via a bridge over the Strait of Kerch, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. Crimea is known for its spectacular rock formations, mud baths, Black Sea shipwrecks, and cultural landmarks dating to the Antiquity. This video was a DVOW nominee in November 2019. 

Top content creator and drone pilot Nicko once again holds nothing back when showing off the beauty of the Caucasus region of southern Russia. The elegant backdrop of this amazing mountain range, whether covered in snow or standing bold in lush green, provide the perfect backdrop for winter sports (including the 1014 Winter Olympics, held in Sochi), charming villages, breathtaking vistas, and the rolling clouds. This video was a finalist for the AirVuz Drone Video of the Week Contest in April, 2018.

Top AirVuz contributor and drone operator DroneProduction.ru (along with the help of drone pilot Alexander Malkov) brings us this DVOW nominated aerial tour of Krasnaya Polyana Ski Resort, one of Russia's most famous ski destinations.  It's located on the western slopes of the Caucasus Mountains in the southern province of Krasnodar Krai.  Situated about 50 km (30 mi.) east of Sochi, the resort hosted the alpine skiing events for the 2014 Winter Olympics.  Its slopes feature a total vertical drop of 1.76k meters or about 5.8k ft.  

Content creator and pilot Rocannon created this amazing drone video recording a kitesurfing trip to the Black Sea in Russia's Crimean Peninsula.  The video does a beautiful job of intermixing shots of the spectacular natural scenery of the Crimean coastline with some epic footage of multiple (and clearly very adept) kitesurfers skimming the water of this vast inland sea.  It looks like the trip of a lifetime, and the video was picked as a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week contest in June, 2019.

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner CINEMADRONE brings us this fantastic drone video from Southern Russia.  The video was filmed in the Caucasus Mountains near Sochi, the Black Sea resort city which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.  Shot with an Autel EVO 2 drone, the video includes outstanding footage of Bzerpinsky Cornice, a tea plantation in the microdistrict of Matsesta, Akhun mountain, and more.  This video was picked as a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week contest in July of 2021.   

Top AirVuz contributor panvelvet brings us this stunning drone video from the republic of Dagestan in Southern Russia.  With its eastern border on the Caspian Sea, most of the Muslim-majority Federal Subject (essentially, province) is covered by the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, which divide Europe from Asia.  The video features some outstanding aerial views from Dagestan's mountainous interior, including some epic shots of hilltop villages and the distinctive Vainakh towers which dot the North Caucasus region.  

Top contributor DiamondSky, multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month Winner and 6th annual New York City Drone Film Festival Finalist, does it again with this fantastic travel piece from Southern Russia.  Using a DJI Mavic Pro 2, an FPV racing drone, and a ground camera, his video will take you through the mountainous province of Kabardino-Balkaria.  Part of the North Caucasus region, this republic covers a small area but is home to Europe's highest mountain (Mt. Elbirus), one of a half-dozen peaks over 5k meters (16.5k ft.) above sea level.

Ride along with contributor Jasnkmclean on an aerial tour of two of the most important cities in Southern Russia.  Krasnodar is the capital of the oblast (province) of Krasnodar Krai.  One of Russia's 15-16 largest cities, it's situated on the Kuban River, one of the region's most important waterways.  Sochi lies to the southeast of the provincial capital, on the Black Sea.  Russia's primary resort town on the Black Sea, Sochi gained international recognition as the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics.  

Contributor Feel Alive created this magnificent drone video of the Crimean Peninsula in southern Russia.  The Peninsula, which is largely covered in mountains, juts out into the northern Black Sea.  Long part of the Russian Empire, the Crimea was initially part of the Ukraine when the Soviet Union dissolved in the early 1990's.  In 2014, in a controversial vote, Crimea elected to secede from the Ukraine and join Russia.  It's considered amongst the most naturally beautiful areas in Eastern Europe.

Check out these fantastic nighttime dronelapse views of Sochi, Russia, compliments of AirVuz contributor nobody_is_perfect.  Located on the Black Sea in the southern Federal Subject of Krasnodar Krai, Sochi was the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics.  The city backs up to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, where the Olympic alpine skiing events were held.  In addition to its association with winter sports, Sochi is also considered the summer holiday capital of Russia.  The video was filmed with a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone.

Contributor and drone pilot Garry Studios created this marvelous aerial video of Adygea, one of the republics (equivalent to oblasts) which make up southern Russia.  Adygea lies on the northern fringe of the Caucasus range, roughly due east from Krasnodar (the largest city in the region) and due north from Socchi (the 2014 Winter Olympics host city).  With a stunningly beautiful landscape, Adgyea is crossed by many rivers, the largest being the Kuban, the most important waterway in the North Caucasus region.

With multiple Drone Video of the Week/Month wins, DiamondSky is one of the top content creators in the AirVuz community.  That should be reason enough to check out this fantastic drone video from the Caucasus Mountains of Southern Russia.  The video was filmed in the wintertime around the resort settlement of Dombay, which is part of the city of Karachayevsk in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic.  The area is part of the Teberda Nature Reserve, on the northern slopes of the western Caucasus Mountains.  

The Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea is known for its highly unusual geology, and one of the most famous examples of this is the Valley of Ghosts.  Seen here in this drone video by contributor and pilot Bogdan Sinayskiy, the valley is located on Crimea's southeastern coast, on the southern face of Demerdzhi Mountain.  The valley gets its name from the stones which can be seen (depending on the viewer) to resemble all manner of real or imaginary creatures.  Watch the video and you'll see what we're talking about!  

For a first upload to AIrVuz, new contributor fredo1983 brings us this magnificent drone video from the Russian province of North Ossetia.  Most of North Ossetia is covered by the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, the great range which runs on a northwest-to-to southeast axis between the Black and Caspian Seas and thus divides Europe from Asia.   The video includes footage of Mount Kasbek, which is one of the highest mountains in the Caucasus and has a peak elevation of over 5k meters above sea level (around 16.6k ft.).  

Krasnodar is one of the most important cities in southern Russia.  It is situated in the triangle formed by the Black Sea and its Sea of Azov extension, on the Kuban River.  Depending on the area being counted, it's somewhere amongst the top 15-20 cities in Russia in terms of population. It's part of an important historical area known as the Kuban, which was an area settled by the Cossacks, in part as a means for Russia to protect itself from incursions into the heart of Russia by the Ottoman Empire.  

For centuries, the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea has been a place known in part for its supposedly curative mud baths.  The spas built around these natural phenomena have been part of the Crimea's landscape since the early 1800's.  In this drone video by and pilot contributor Martijneir, you can get a bird's eye view of one of these famous baths near Kurotne.  While the Crimea was part of the Ukraine following the breakup of the USSR, it was re-attached to Russia following a 2014 plebiscite.       

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist nikybwd brings us this spectacular drone video of Russia's Mt. Elbrus.  Elbrus is a dormant volcano which lies in the Kabardino-Balkaria republic (province) of Southern Russia, just to the north of the main Caucasus Mountain range.  Its two summits (eastern and western) summits have an elevation of just over 5.6k meters above sea level (18.5k), fully 800 meters (about 2.7k ft.) higher than France's Mont Blanc (the highest mountain of the Alps).  It's the world's tenth-most prominent mountain.  

Seen here in this excellent drone video by VadimUshka, the Russian city of Volgograd lies on a southern stretch of the Volga River.  During World War II, when the city was known as Stalingrad, it was the site of one of histrory's bloodiest battles.  The Battle of Stalingrad was joined in August, 1942 when the forces of Nazi Germany reached the outskirts of the city; it ended a little over five months later when these forces were encircled and annilhilated by the Red Army.  The battle marked the decisive turning point in the conflict.

The Crimea is a large peninsula on the northern side of the Black Sea.  Part of Russia since becoming detached from Ukraine following the latter's revolution of 2014, the Crimea is home to some of the most beautiful natural scenery in Eastern Europe.  In this outstanding piece from new contributor roman_kamyshnikov, you'll be treated to some stunning aerial footage of this storied land, including shots of its famously rocky coastline, its mountains which run nearly to the sea, its mud flats, and more.  

Check out the Black Sea coast of Russia from an entirely new perspective in this first person view (FPV) video by contributor and FPV pilot craig_dt.  He strapped on his FPV goggles and took his racing quad out for a spin on the sea's northeastern shore near Tuapse, which is about a two hour drive northwest (along the coast) from 2014 Olympic Host City Sochi.  The video provides an amazing perspective skimming along the beautiful cliff-lined waters, where he encounters some canoes as well as a giant yacht.  

Content creator and pilot Garry Studios created this amazing drone video of the Olympic Park at Sochi, Russia.  This city on the Black Sea in the Krasnodar Krai Oblast (province) in Southern Russia was the center of the world for two weeks in February, 2014 when it hosted the XXII Winter Olympic Games.  It was the first Olympics held in Russia (or the Former Soviet Union) since the boycott-marred 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.  The Sochi Games took place in the city as well as in the nearby Caucasus Mountains.  

In this video you'll get a bird's eye view of Yalta, a city on the Black Sea coastline of the Crimean Peninsula.  The Crimea became part of the Ukraine following the dissolution of the USSR in the 1990's, but recently voted to rejoin Russia.  Yalta was the site of a famous meeting during the closing months of World War II, when Allied leaders Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin met to begin planning the post-war world order.  It was the second and last meeting of the so-called Big Three.

Surprising to many, Europe's tallest mountains are not to be found in the Alps but rather in the Caucasus, the range which serves (along with the Black Sea) as the continent's southern boundary with Asia.  The highest Caucasus summit is Mt. Elbirus, which is nearly 850 meters (around 2.7k ft.) higher than France's Mt. Blanc.  Nor do the more famous Alps have anything on the Caucasus in terms of sheer natural beauty.  In this video from top contributor DroneProduction.ru, you'll see the beautiful Caucasus in the transitional Spring period.  

Contributor robert_msk combined drone and ground camera footage to create this epic video record of a trip to the Crimean Peninsula in the southern part of Russia.  Once known as the Tauric Peninsula, it's a major landform which juts southward into the Black Sea connected to the mainland by the tiny Isthmus of Perekop.  It's home to some of the most stunning natural and cultural scenery in Eastern Europe, including magnificent cliffs, hilltop castles, and even a heart-shaped reservoir lake.  

Take in these magnificent aerial views of the Russian city of Sevastopol, compliments of AirVuz contributor sinaysky.  The video opens with shots of the Monument to the Sunken Ships in Sevastopol Bay, a monument to the city's siege during the Crimean War in 1854-5.  Then it's on to the Soldier and Sailor Memorial, which commemorates the losses in the city's even bloodier siege during World War II.  Other featured locations include the British Light Brigade Monument near Balaklava, the Genoese Fortress, the harbor of Balaklava, and more. 

See North Caucasus from above thanks to talented drone pilot, Dmitry. North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is the northern part of the Caucasus region in Russia. It is located between the Sea of Azov and Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east. The beautiful region can be seen during winter, the hills and plains covered in snow, in this video, but that’s not all the makes it special. It's his editing talents, that are certainly on display in this entertaining piece, that make it stand out. 

Check out this highly cinematic aerial view of a giant field in Southern Russia, where the vast plains of the Eurasian Steppe give way to the foothills of the great Caucasus Mountains.  The area is around the town of Pyatigorsk, a spa town in the Stavropol Krai in the North Caucasus Region.  The prominence of these mountains is due in part to the sudden-ness of the transition: this almost board-flat landscape is less than 100 km (under 60 mi.) from the mighty Mt. Elbirus, Russia's tallest peak.  

Check out this beautiful drone video from Southern Russia, compliments of content creator and pilot Dmitry.  It was filmed in the area around the village of Arkkhyz.  The village is part of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, which in turn is part of Russia's official North Caucasus region.  The village lies about 70 km (around 40 mi.) inland from the Black Sea, at the base of the great Caucasus Mountain Range which divides Europe from Asia.  It sits in the valley of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, a tributary of the Kuban.  

Check out this absolutely stunning drone videos of the Caucasus Mountains in Southern Russia, compliments of contributor and pilot sokolkola.  The mountains, which were formed by the collision of the Arabian Plate with the European Plate, serve as the cultural and geographic crossroads between Europe and Asia.  The area shown in the video is is part of the Greater Caucasus, which runs parallel and north of the Lesser Caucasus and in many spots serves as the border between Russia and Georgia.

There's something for everyone in this stunning first person view (FPV) drone reel from Russia's Crimea region, compliments of FPVbro.  The video opens with an epic shot flying through a hole in a mountain rock formation, for which this Black Sea peninsula is famous.  Other shots will take you along its cliff-backed beaches, coastal mountains, and interior plains.  Other highlights include some spectacular wind turbine shots; airplane, motorcycle, and ATV chasing sequences; the rock of Qaya, the Genoese Fortress in Sudak, and more.  

Check out this stunning drone video of an abandoned village in the mountains of Southern Russia, compliments of contributor and pilot airdag.  It's called Gamsutl, and it's located in the republic of Dagestan, one of the seven Federal Subjects (basically, provinces or oblasts) which make up the North Caucasus region of the country.  The village was constructed by the Avars, one of the native ethnic groups of the northeastern Caucasus region.  It's one of the oldest settlements in Dagestan.  

Take in these stunning aerial views of Russia's Crimea Region, compliments of AirVuz contributor VadimUshKa.  The video opens with shots of Yalta, a resort town which was the summer home of the Tsars and the site of a famous conference near the end of World War II.  Then it's on to Sebastopol, the great Black Sea port city.  The third spot is Balaklava, a settlement which lies just to the southeast of Sebastopol and which was the site of a 19th century battle immortalized in Tennyson's poem the Charge of the Light Brigade.  

New AirVuz contributor Alexandr Shinkarevskiy brings us this stunning drone video of a famous spot on the Black Sea's Crimean Peninsula.  It was filmed around the town of Balaklava, on the southern outskirts of Sevastopol.  Balaklava became famous in 1854 for a battle during the Siege of Sebastopol, during the Crimean War: the decimation of a British cavalry unit by previously undetected Russian artillery forces here was immortalized in Alfred (Lord) Tennyson's narrative poem, the Charge of the Light Brigade.   

See beautiful Dagestan from above in this incredible DVOW Finalist drone video by pilot nikybwd. The federal subject of Russia is located in the North Caucasus region.  Bounded by the Caspian Sea and partially covered by the Caucasus Mountains, Dagestan is a word with Turkish and Persian origins that means “mountain” and “land.”  The video features spectacular footage from across the region, including the large fortress in Derbent; Derbent is believed to be the oldest city in Russia. 

The White Rock (Aq Qaya) is one of the natural wonders of Crimean, the peninsula of the northern Black Sea which has been part of Russia since a 2014 referendum in which the region voted to separate itself from Ukraine.  Seen here in this drone video by Alexandr Shinkarevskiy, the giant formation is located near the town of Belogorsk (also known as Qarasuvbazar), near the middle of the peninsula.  Its flat "summit" stands about 100 meters (around 330 ft.) above its base in the valley of the Biyuk-Karasu River.  

See one of the most popular and prominent attractions in the Crimean peninsula, the Genoese Fortress, in this Travel FPV video by craig_dt. It's located near Sudak, in the middle of Crimea's southeastern coastline.  Built in 1371, the fortress was a stronghold of the Soldayya colony with wall that was nearly 2 meters (6 ft.) thick. Craig_dt is also giving us an aerial tour of Mount Mithridat, a large hill located on the eastern Kerch Peninsula in Crimea. The view from the top of the hill is impeccable, stretching out as far as the shore. 

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Supasanya brings us this stunning drone video from the Caucasus Mountains in Russia.  The northern slope of the great chain, which divides Europe from Asia, is part of the North Caucasus region in the southern part of the country.  The video was created with footage from a (gimbal-stabilized) DJI Mavic 3 drone as well as first person view (FPV) drone footage.  Ride along for some fantastic views of some of the most beautiful alpine scenery in all of Europe! 

Explore the North Caucasus region of Russia in this fantastic drone video by former Drone Video of the Week Winner Supasanya.  The North Caucasus area includes several provinces and republics in the southern part of the country, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east, on the northern slopes of the great mountain range which divides Europe from Asia.  The video features both gimbal-stabilized shots from a DJI Mavic 3 drone as well as some incredible first person view (FPV) drone footage.  

Former Drone Video of the Week winner DroneProduction.ru brings us this fantastic wintertime video from Southern Russia.  The footage was captured around the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort in Krasnaya Polyana near the city of Sochi, a city in the federal subject (essentially, an oblast or province) of Krasnodar Krai.  Located just west of the Caucasus Mountain range that divides Europe from Asia, the resort's extensive alpine ski slopes hosted many of the skiing events when the 2014 Winter Olympics were held in Sochi.  

The Crimean Peninsula is home to some of the most spectacular natural scenery on the Black Sea.  With a chain of mountains running parallel to its southeastern shore, its coastline largely consists of sheer cliffs, with massive rock formations sitting just offshore.  In this excellent drone video by contributor Alexandr Shinkarevskiy, you'll get an aerial view of a spot on the Crimean coastline called Cape Fiolent, just east of Sebastopol.  It's distinguished by its Cross Rock, so named for reasons which the video will make apparent.

In this drone video by contributor and drone pilot Bogdan Sinayskiy, you'll follow a paraglider off the top of a mountain in Southern Russia. Paragliding is the adventure/extreme sport of flying a lightweight parachute "glider", usually down the slope of a mountain.   If you’ve never seen it from above, definitely give this short video by cinaysky a watch. The video was filmed near Krasnaya Polyana, a famed ski area in the heart of the Caucasus Mountains near the 2014 Winter Olympics host city of Sochi.   

Part of Russia since 2014, the Crimean Peninsula is known in part for its mountains, which run roughly parallel to Crimea's southeastern coastline on the Black Sea.  In this drone video by sinaysky, you'll get an aerial view of one of the most well-known peaks of the Crimean Mountains.  It's called Ai-Petri, and it's situated near the peninsula's southern tip, in the municipality of Yalta.  Rising to a height of a little over 1.2k meters above sea level (about 4k ft.), it routinely sees winds in excess of nearly 200 km/hour (110 mph).  

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner DiamondSky brings us this fantastic drone video from the mountains of Southern Russia.  Shot with a combination of a first person view (FPV) mini-drone and a stabilized aerial videography platform, the video will take you over a lake in the Caucasus Mountains in Kabardino-Balkaria, one of the federal subjects (essentially, provinces) of the country's North Caucasus Federal District.  Kabardino-Balkaria's territory includes Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak of the Caucasus and indeed of Europe.    

Dagestan is what as known as a republic of Russia, a form of administrative division which is similar to an oblast that's used in many of the non-Russian ethnic regions of the vast country.  Dagestan is situated in the North Caucasus region, along the western side of the Caspian Sea and extending some ways inland into the Caucasus Mountains.  In this drone video by Rasul Abdurazakov, you'll get an aerial view of the Dagestan's Rutulsky District, a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the republic.  

For centuries, sufferers of a range of ailments have taken to the springs of the Caucasus region of Southern Russia for the supposed restorative properties of their mineral waters.  For example, during World War II, nearly a million soldiers were sent to sanitoriums here to help them recover from their injuries.  In this drone video by top AirVuz contributor nikybwd, you'll get an aerial tour of some of the most prominent of these "spa towns": Mineralnye Vody, Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Essentuki, and Zheleznovodsk.      

Check out this rather stunning drone video from a canyon of the Caucasus Mountains in Southern Russia, compliments of multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner DroneProduction.ru.  The video follows the route of a road through the canyon, which used to be the only route between the city of Sochi and the ski resort of Rosa Khutor.  The road was replaced prior to the Winter Olympics held in 2014 (the XXII Olympic Winter Games), which were hosted in Sochi and whose alpine skiing events took place at the ski resort.  

Take in these magnificent drone views of the Caucasus Mountains in Southern Russia, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot nobody_is_perfect.  The video was shot in the area of Mt. Achishkho, which lies near the western end of the great range, a bit to the northeast of Sochi (the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics) and a bit to the northwest of the Rosa Khutor ski resort which was the venue for the alpine skiing events at the Winter Games.  Mt. Achishkho has the distinction of being the snowiest area within the Caucasus.

Check out this excellent drone view of a famous church in the Crimea region of Russia, compliments of Alexandr Shinkarevskiy.  Known variously as Church of Christ's Resurrection or Foros Church, it is located just outside of the town of Yalta.  Perched on a cliff in the mountains which run parallel to the peninsula's southeastern coastline, the church affords spectacular views of the Black Sea.  Consecrated in 1892, the church was built to celebrate the miraculous survival of the Imperial Family in a 1888 train crash.    

Here's an amazing first personn view (FPV) video of a boat race on the Don River in southern Russia, compliments of content creator and FPV pilot D3nzlFPV.  It's a great example of the power of racing drones to film subjects which are simply moving too fast for gimbal-stabilized camera drones.  The filming scene is near the city of Rostov-on-Don, a port city near the mouth of the mighty Don River in Russia's Southern Federated District.  The Don is one of the most important waterways in southern Russia.  

Contributor and pilot nobody_is_perfect put the hyperlapse functionality of the DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to good use in this amazing nighttime video of Sochi, Russia.  The video runs along the Black Sea waterfront of this port city in the Krasnodar Krai oblast (province) of Southern Russia.   You'll be able to see the high rise resorts which form the beating heart of this city near the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, which was the host city for the Winter Olympic Games played here in February, 2014.  

Prepare to be blown away by this drone video from the republic of Dagestan in Southern Russia by Drone Video of the Month Winner DiamondSky.  With its eastern border on the Caspian Sea, most of the Muslim-majority Federal Subject (essentially, province) is covered by the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, which divide Europe from Asia.  The focus of the video is Dagestan's interior, whose rock formations, canyons, waterfalls, and other features make for some of the finest natural scenery in all of Russia.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist yuriy stolypin brings us this fantastic drone video from a giant mineral lake in Southern Russia.  Lake Elton is located in the Volgograd Oblast, about 165 km (around 100 mi.) east-northeast of the oblast's namesake capital.  The largest mineral lake in Europe, it covers an area of about 150 square km (about 60 square mi.) but is extremely shallow - less than a meter (about two ft.) at its deepest.  One of the world's most mineralized lakes, it sits about 20 meters (around 60 ft.) below sea level.

Top AirVuz contributor and pilot Jasonkmclean brings us this excellent drone video of an important football stadium in Southern Russia.  Krasnodar Stadium is located in its namesake city, the capital of the federal subject (essentially, province) of Krasnodar Krai.  Completed in 2016, the stadium seats just over 35k fans.  It's the home stadium of FC Krasnoda of the Russian Premiere League, the country's top football association.   The unique circular design was the work of Gerkan, Marg and Partners, a Hamburg, Germany architectural firm.  

Check out this stunning drone video from the Caucasus Mountains in southern Russia, compliments of former DVOW winner DroneProduction.ru  It was shot around the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort in Krasnya Polya in Russia's North Caucasus Region.  Rosa Khutor hosted many of the skiing events of the 2014 Winter Olympics, which were hosted by Sochi.  Mt. Roza, its highest peak, is about 2.3kk meters (7.6k ft.) above sea level and is reachable by gondola; the vertical drop from the peak is about 1.75k meters or about 5.8k ft. 

The Mamaev Kurgan is a hill overlooking the city of Volgagrad in Southern Russia.  Atop it sits one of the most important symbols of Russia's Great Patriotic War with Germany, a conflict known to most of the world as World War II.  It's a statue called The Motherland Calls, and it's one of the world's tallest.  Dedicated in 1967, it commemorates the titanic struggle that transpired here in 1942-3 when the city (then known as Stalingrad) was the site of one of the bloodiest battles in history and the turning point of the war.

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor Alexey Urban brings us this stunning drone video from the Chechen Republic, one of the southernmost Russian territories.  With a land area of about 6.7k square mi. (around 17k square km), the republic is almost entirely covered by the Caucasus Mountains, which divide Europe from Asia.   Its main native population group, the Chechens, are part of a larger ethnic group called the Nakh peoples, and are primarily followers of the Muslim faith.  The video was created with a DJI Mavic 3 drone.  

While the Caspian Sea is an inland body of water, its area covers territory of five states: Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, all of which deploy Caspian naval forces.  The largest of these is the Russia's Caspian Flotilla, which dates to the time of Tsar Peter the Great.  The fleet consists of over three dozen ships, including frigates, corvettes, missile-equipped patrol boats, and minesweepers.  In this drone video by VadimUshKa, you'll see this fleet on display for Navy Day in the town of Kaspiysk, Dagestan.  

AirVuz contributor sinaysky brings us this spectacular drone video from Crimea, a giant peninsula of the Black Sea.  Annexed from Ukraine by Russia following a 2014 referendum, the region is nearly an island; its sole connection to the mainland is the narrow Isthmus of Perekop.  The peninsula covers an area of 27k square km (around 10.4k square mi.), a bit smaller than Belgium.  With its stunning coastal mountains and magnificent rock formations, it offers some of the most amazing natural scenery on the Eurasian landmass.  

AirVuz contributor and pilot sokolkola brings us this excellent drone video from the Caucasus Mountains in the southern part of Russia.  The video was filmed near the village of Arkhyz in the valley of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, in the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, part of the North Caucasus Federal District.  Just 50 mi (around 70 km) inland from the Black Sea, the area is at an altitude of about 5k ft. above sea level (around 1.5k meters); the surrounding mountains have peaks of roughly 10k ft. above sea level (around 3k meters).  

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner DroneProduction.ru brings us another stunning drone video from the Caucasus Mountains area of Southern Russia.  This video was filmed in Chegem Canyon, which is just north of the main range in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, one of the provinces of the North Caucasus Region.  The steep, narrow gorge is lined with spectacular rock formations, as you'll see in the video.  The canyon's namesake river flows on a northerly route away from the mountains, before turning east to join the Baksan River.      

Gurzuf is a Black Sea resort town on the Crimean Peninsula, a territory which was annexed by Russia following a referendum in 2014.  The town lies on Crimea's southeastern coast, roughly opposite (due east from) Sebastopol, and just a bit north of the more famous town of Yalta.  Built on the site of a 6th century fortress commissioned by Emperor Justinian I, the town was also considered strategic by the Genoese, who controlled the region for a time.  Check out the Gurzuf from above in this drone video by Alexandr Shinakarevskiy.  

For a first upload to AirVuz,new contributor  dmitry_kolomayko brings us this stunning wintertime drone video from the Caucasus Mountains of Southern Russia.  The video was filmed near the town of Dombay in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, one of the seven Federal Subjects of Russia's North Caucasus Federal District.  The area is part of the Teberda Nature Reserve, an ecological reserve which covers the northern slopes of the western part of the Caucasus range and is designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Not even a decade old as of 2020, Rosa Khutor is one of the top ski resorts in Russia.  Situated in the Western Caucasus Mountains in the federal subject (state) of Krasnodar Krai, the resort opened in 2011.  Rosa Khutor was the primary venue for the alpine skiing events at the 2014 Winter Olympics, which were hosted in the nearby city of Sochi.  In this excellent drone video by AirVuz contributor nobody_is_perfect, you'll get a bird's eye view of the well-known resort during the summer months.  

Prepare to be amazed by the drone footage of a famous mountain race in Southern Russia.  It's called the Elbrus Race, and (as the name suggests) it's a race to the top of Mt. Elbrus, which has a peak elevation of about 4.75k meters (about 18.5k ft.) and is part of the Caucasus range.  The race draws on a Russian-Soviet tradition of timed ascents to the peak, which is not only the highest in Russia but is the highest peak in Europe.  The race, which recently had its tenth anniversary, is held in early August.  

Check out this stunning drone footage of some amazing action sports activities from the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea by contributor Gzhuravlev.  The Crimean is a large peninsula which extends from the north shore of the Black Sea.  A near-island, its only connection to the mainland is via the Isthmus of Perekop.  The area shown in the video is on the southern shore of the peninsula, which was part of Ukraine for nearly 25 years before becoming annexed by Russia in 2014 following a controversial referendum.

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor StanislavP brings us this excellent drone video from the mountains of Southern Russia.  The video was filmed over the republic of North Ossetia, one of the southernmost territories of the vast country.  North Ossetia lies near the western end of the main range of the Caucasus Mountains, which divides Europe from Asia.  The territory, which once stood astride the Silk Road, bears the imprint of the different civilizations which fought over the region for centuries.  

Soar over Russia's Caucasus Mountains in this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone video by AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot kalash.fpv.  The video was filmed near Sochi, host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics.  The video was shot with a GoPro Hero 10 action camera, which provides a high level of built-in stabilization.  As you'll see, this makes for some marvelously cinematic footage, particularly when filmed at sunset.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in late December of 2021.  

Get a new perspective on the Crimea region of Southern Russia in this excellent first person view (FPV) drone travel video by AirVuz contributor Stanislav Banschikov.  The video will take you over some of the most spectacular scenery of Crimea, which is a peninsula that extends into the northern Black Sea.  You'll fly over some of Crimea's coastal mountains, magnificent rock formations, and cultural/historical treasures such as the Genoese Fortress near Sudak.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in October, 2022.    

Top AirVuz contributor nikybwd brings us this excellent drone video from the Caucasus Mountains in Southern Russia.  The video was filmed in the area around Dombay in Karachay-Cherkessia, one of the seven Federal Subjects (essentially provinces) of Russia's North Caucasus region.  The landscape is dominated by Mt. Dombay-Ulgen, which has a summit elevation of just over 4k meters above sea level (around 13.3k ft.).  The mountain's peak actually lies in Abkhazia, a territory which is generally recognized to be part of neighboring Georgia.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, new contributor begendor brings us this excellent drone video from the Crimea Region in Russia.  The video was shot in the Fall of 2021.  Crimea is a roughly triangle-shaped peninsula of the Black Sea which had been part of the USSR and then Ukraine following the fall of the Soviet Union; in 2014 it was annexed by Russia.  The region is known for its spectacularly rocky and a range of mountains which runs parallel to its shoreline and which reach elevations of over 5k ft. above sea level (around 1.5k m).  

Check out this amazing drone video from the Russian republic of Dagestan, compliments of AirVuz contributor fredo1983.  The video opens with shots of the desert-covered portion of the republic, the southernmost Russian province.  At the :40 mark, you'll see the wreck of a Lun-class ekranoplan, a "ground effect" craft once used by the Soviet Navy and now grounded on the shores of the Caspian Sea.  Other locations include the Tobot Waterfall, as well as the abandoned village of Tobot waterfall Khunzakh Dagestan in the Caucasus Mountains.

Check out this stunning first person view (FPV) drone video from Russia's Mt. Elbrus, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot kalash.fpv.  Mt. Elbrus is located near the western end of the main Caucasus Mountains range, which separates the European and Asian continents.  Withb a peak elevation of about 18.5k ft. above sea level (a little over 5.6k m), this dormant volcano is the tallest mountain in the Caucasus; and the tenth-most prominent peak in the world at about 15.5k ft. or around 4.7k m.