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Originally from Petrograd (St. Petersburg), Russia. Raisa's parents disappeared under mysterious circumstances during her childhood. She was later adopted by Americans stationed in Russia and moved to the US, where she now attends Georgetown U. as an Archaeology Major. An older brother, Piotr, was killed on the Kursk back home.

 (FACT: When WWI broke out in August 1914 it was decided to change the name of the Russian capital from St. Petersburg to Petrograd. The old name sounded too German for contemporary Russians. In 1924 the name of the city was changed to Leningrad, and that was a symbol of its transition to a Socialist city.) When the government initiated the reforms known worldwide as Perestroika all stability of course disappeared. The population began experiencing economic hardship, while the reforms went on. In 1991, after a city-wide referendum, the city of Leningrad was renamed and got back its old name - St. Petersburg.

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The Kremlin

St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg

Imperial Seal of the Romanovs