eielef

Leaving Moscow in New Years Eve, I plan the following trip, without any limits on time or destinations. I have 6 weeks off, a reliable Audi, and speak fluent Russian.
https://goo.gl/maps/q3LAhN5s7t22

The plan is to make a circle with Moscow at the west, the Komi Republic in the North, Perm in the East and Orenburg at the south. So it would look more or less like this:


Also, most of the cities that are in route have one or more airports. Some of them have flights, and many of them on some hidden soviet beauties, on mostly unknown airlines. I chose flights which were possible to go and return in the day, and in soviet built planes. The name of the airline is in Russian, as most of them don't even have an internet website, and much less a Wikipedia Article.
It will mostly include.
1. Moscow
2. Vladimir (UUBL) - Return flight to Saint Petersburg (LED/ULLI) on An24 by Псковавиа
3. Ivanovo (IWA/UUBI)
4. Yaroslavl (IAR/UUDL)
5. Kostroma (KMW/UUBA) - Return Flight to Saint Petersburg (LED/ULLI) on An26 by Костромское Авиапредприятие
6. Vologda (VGD/ULWW) - Return Flight to Moscow (VKO/UUWW) on Yak40 by Вологодское авиационное предприятие
7. Kotlas (ULKK) - Return flight to Arkhangelsk (ARH/ULAA) on Let410 by Комиавиатранс
8. Syktkyvkar (SCW/UUYY) - Return flight to either Ust Tsilma (UTS/UUYX), Pechora (PEX/UUYP), Inta (INA/UUYI) or Vuktyl (UUYK) on Let410 by Комиавиатранс
9. Kirov (KVX/USKK)- Return flight to Kazan (KZN/UWKD) on Let410 by Оренбуржье
10. Perm (PEE/USPP)- Return flight to Usinsk (USK/UUYS) or to Naryan-Mar (NNM/ULAM) on An24 by Турухан
11. Izhvesk (IJK/USII) - Return flight to Moscow (DME/UUDD) or to Saint Petersburg (LED/ULLI) on Yak42 by Ижавиа
12. Ufa (UFA/UWUU)
12A. Return flight to Beloyarsk (EYK/USHQ) on An24 by Турухан
12B. Return flight to Yekaterinburg (SVX/USSS) or Samara (KUF/UWWW) on Yak42 by Саратовские авиалинии
12C. Return flight to Kogalym (KGP/USRK), Noyabrsk (NOJ/USRO) or Omsk (OMS/UNOO) on Yak42 by КрасАвиа
12D. Return flight to Orenburg (REN/UWOO), Perm (PEE/USPP) or Samara (KUF/UWWW) on Let410 by Оренбуржье
13. Orenburg (REN/UWOO) - Return flight to Orsk (OSW/UWOR) or Chelyabinsk (CEK/USCC) on Let410 by Оренбуржье
14. Samara (KUF/UWWW) -
14A. Return flight to Volgograd (VOG/URWW) on An24 by Авиакомпания «Пионер»
14B. Return flight to Novy Urengoy (NUX/USMU) on Yak42 by КрасАвиа
15. Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport (ULY/UWLW) - Return flight to Saint Petersburg (LED/ULLI) on Yak42 by Ижавиа
16. Saransk (SKX/UWPS) - Return flight to Moscow (DME/UUDD) on An24 by Авиалинии Мордовии
17. Penza (PEZ/UWPP)
18. Saratov (RTW/UWSS) - Return flight to Surgut (SGC/USRR) on Yak42 by Саратовские авиалинии
19. Tambov (TBW/UUOT) - Return flight to Saint Petersburg (LED/ULLI) on An24 by Псковавиа
20. Lipetsk (LPK/UUOL)
21. Ryazan (RZN/UUWR)
22. Moscow

So, the idea is to take not all of these flights, just the ones who are affordable (limit on 100U$S return), and that fit the day we get there.

If doing all the possible flights, it would look like this


And using Yandex Maps (better than Google Maps in this country), the road trip seems like this (approx 5700km)
Part 1 - Moscow -> Perm 2400km


Part 2 - Perm -> Tambov 2700km


Part 3 - Tambov -> Moscow 600km


If done all the places just by car, we'd have visited the following Federal Subjects (States/Provinces): (22 out of 85, so 26% of all)
02 Republic of Bashkortostan
11 Komi Republic
13 Republic of Mordovia
18 Udmurt Republic
29 Arkhangelsk Oblast
33 Vladimir Oblast
35 Vologda Oblast
37 Ivanovo Oblast
43 Kirov Oblast
44 Kostroma Oblast
48 Lipetsk Oblast
50 Moscow Oblast
56 Orenburg Oblast
58 Penza Oblast
59 Perm Krai
62 Ryazan Oblast
63 Samara Oblast
64 Saratov Oblast
68 Tambov Oblast
73 Ulyanovsk Oblast
76 Yaroslavl Oblast
77 Moscow City



If anyone is crazy enough like to join me, contact me.
Cheers,
Eielef @MOW

ParisMoskau

That sounds like a great trip! Unfortunately, too short notice for me. Enjoy it!

S novim godom

eielef

I started the trip, as expected, on the 31st of December by 3pm. It was short until it got dark. Spirits were high. First night, new years eve, in Vologda, a lovely city. New Year at Revolution Square, celebrating with Pepsi (alcohol in public spaces is not allowed).
Following morning, I visited the airport, but it was closed due to the national holiday. My car got stuck in snow, and a 82 year old gentleman helped me out. Next destination, the hometown of Ded Moroz (sort of Santa Claus), named Veliky Ustyug, an overpriced kitsch touristic destination that offers not much besides churches, and the Santa Claus Museum which was closed as well. TOO many children. No space on any hotel.
Next destination, Kotlas. Plan was to fly to Arkhangelsk and return today (2nd Jan) but there were no places in either direction. Maybe the flight is cancelled. So I bought a train ticket (3rd class) to Arkhangelsk today, will spend 26 hours there, and fly back as expected on the Let410 by Комиавиатранс. This is, so far, the spot 7 on the list. As I had been earlier this month in Vladimir, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo and Kostroma, I went through, just stopped for KFC in Yaroslavl. Wednesday I'll drive to Syktkyvkar, but I doubt i'll fly again with Комиавиатранс: you see, flights are pretty expensive (e.g. that same day I could do flights ИГ49 and ИГ50 SCW-USK-UCT-USK-SCW, but it is over 400U$S all in the same plane that i'll have flown from ARH).
I'm not sure what to do next, and, being alone and in winter, I'll cut my trip shorter leaving the southern part for another moment, when i can also visit Kazakhstan. So it seems after Syktkyvkar, it will come Kirov, Yoshkar Ola, Cheboksary, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow. But i'm not sure yet. So it will have had only one flight, and a very overpriced one...

ParisMoskau

How was the flight with Комиавиатранс, and how is your adventure going?