A Note from Rick Archer: 

Russia is a much-feared, mysterious land that remained hidden behind its Iron Curtain for virtually the entire 20th century.  Long considered the Bad Boy of Europe, Russia wants everyone to believe it was misunderstood.  Even better, Russia claims it has changed its stripes.  Oh, like we're going to believe that? 

It used to be U-Kraine, now it's My-Kraine!!

My theory is that our generation has some serious energy on Russia.  I say look no further than the Cold War.  Who can forget practicing bomb drills during the Cuban Missile crisis and the threat of nuclear annihilation?  For that matter, there is Sputnik, Iron Curtain, Berlin Wall, Dr. Zhivago, War and Peace, the Miracle on Ice, basketball scandal at the 1972 Olympics, and Nikita Khrushchev's threat to bury us. 

For that matter, current events have certainly stirred up a hornet's nest of interest.   Hitting much too close to home, there is little doubt that Russia has seriously meddled in our politics. 

In Russia, only the strong survive.  Ivan the Terrible murdered his only son.  Peter the Great beat his wife and murdered his only son.  Catherine the Great murdered her husband to become Tsarina and Vladimir Putin murdered Hillary.  Considering a penchant for ruthlessness is a prerequisite for Russian leadership, I believe it is in our interest to understand our nemesis a little better.  By the way, I hear the people are pretty nice.

At the end of the Vytegra River, their luck ran out.  Dead end.  No problem.  There are two things that Russia has in abundance... lots of dirt and lots of water.  The Vikings hoisted their lightweight ship on their shoulders and hiked about 10 miles to the southeast until they found a river which took them to Lake Kovzhskoye.  From there, the Kovzha River took them to Lake Beloye. It is 82 kilometres (51 mi) long, and the area of its basin 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi). The Kovzha River is a part of the Volga-Baltic Waterway. The main tributaries are the Tumba and the Shola (both right).
The source of the Kovzha is in the western bay of Lake Kovzhskoye. The river follows about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) its natural course and then joins the Volga-Baltic Waterway and turns south. In the lower course, the Kovzha forms the border between Belozersky and Vashkinsky Districts. The lowest course of the river is a water reservoir. Here the Kovzha accepts the Shola, its main tributary, from the right.
The river basin of the Kovzha comprises the central part of Vytegorsky District, the western part of Vashkinsky District, and the northern part of Belozersky District. It is limited in the east by the river basin of the Kema River, in the north and the west by the river basins of tributaries of Lake Onega, most notably the Vytegra River, and in the south by the basin of the Megra River, another tributary of lake Beloye.