Entertainment
Top 3 Soviet Easterns
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In the USSR, American Westerns were recreated in their own way. The prairies were replaced by a steppe or desert, while the movies featured Red Army soldiers instead of cowboys.
The ‘Western’ genre literally took the whole world by storm in the mid-20th century. Hollywood movies about dashing cowboys, sly gangsters and ruthless Indians of the ‘Wild West’ frontier in North America were binge-watched in many countries, in some of which attempts were made to film something similar.
The most successful in this were Italians with their so-called ‘spaghetti Westerns’. Some ‘red Westerns’ from socialist bloc countries, primarily from the GDR, were also quite popular.
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Top 100 Russian and Soviet movies
Similar movies were also made in the USSR. However, they decided to revisit the Western genre in their own way: the setting of the Wild West in the second half of the 19th century was “relocated” to Russia during the time of the Civil War, while the prairies were replaced by the Siberian taiga, South Russian steppes and the deserts of Central Asia.
This is how the so-called ‘Eastern’ genre was born, in which there were chases, shootouts with thugs and, of course, the hunt for gold, except that the cowboys were replaced by “brave” Red Army soldiers and and the Indians by the dastardly opponents of Soviet power – White guardsmen or Central Asian Basmachi fighters.
Although the term ‘Eastern’ was not officially used in the USSR, several dozen movies were made in this genre. Below is our pick of the best three.
1. ‘The Elusive Avengers’ (1967)
Trokhachev/Sputnik
The year 1920. The south of Russia is plagued by the Civil War. Four teenagers, dreaming of serving in the Red Army, clash with the anarchist Cossacks of Ataman Gnat Burnash.
‘The Elusive Avengers’ was filmed according to the canons of the classic western with shootouts, chases and the classic scene of drunken thugs shooting bottles and mugs in a pub.
V.Maneshin/Sputnik
Many of the stunts were performed by the young actors starring as the avengers themselves and since there were not enough people on the set, they even had to disguise themselves as Burnash’s Cossacks and chase themselves!
The movie had two sequels: ‘The New Adventures of the Elusive Avengers’ (1968) and ‘The Crown of the Russian Empire or The Elusive Avengers Again’ (1971).
You can watch the movie with English subtitles here.
2. ‘White Sun of the Desert’ (1969)
Sputnik
The early 1920s. A small village on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, which is terrorized by a gang of Black Abdullah’s Basmachi fighters. Nobody dares to fight back against the gangsters, until a Red Army soldier named Fyodor Sukhov makes an appearance.
The shooting of the movie was lengthy and hard. Film officials constantly criticized certain scenes, demanding that they be removed or reshot. Even after the end of the filming, they did not allow ‘White Sun of the Desert’ to come out on screens.
V.Maneshin/Sputnik
At that point, Leonid Brezhnev, the country’s leader and a big fan of westerns himself, intervened. The movie was subsequently released, eventually becoming a nationwide hit.
For Russian (as once for Soviet) cosmonauts, ‘White Sun of the Desert’ is considered a real gem. It is said that they watch it on the eve of every launch and take a copy with them into space. Superstition is that, thanks to this, the flights pass safely.
V.Maneshin/Sputnik
You can watch the movie with English subtitles here.
3. ‘At Home Among Strangers’ (1974)
Southern Russia in the first years after the end of the Civil War. A group of White guardsmen carries out an attack on a train which the Bolsheviks are using to transport gold. However, they do not have time to rejoice at their loot – they themselves are robbed by Cossack Esaul Brylov’s gang.
Director Nikita Mikhalkov, 1974/Mosfilm
Yegor Shilov, an employee of the Soviet special services, goes in search of the gold that is lost in the turmoil. His assignment is complicated by the fact that his colleagues believe he is himself involved in the robbery.
‘At Home Among Strangers’ was the debut work for Nikita Mikhalkov, who later became famous for the drama ‘Burnt by the Sun’, which won the 1994 Academy Award. In the movie, he also plays the role of the charming villain Brylov, whose character was inspired by ‘spaghetti Westerns’ starring Clint Eastwood.
Director Nikita Mikhalkov, 1974/Mosfilm
The budding director was allocated too little deficit color film, so, some of the scenes were shot in black and white. As a result, this division became a distinctive feature of the motion picture.
‘At Home Among Strangers’ was, in part, filmed in the Russian republic of Chechnya, while some of the members of the esaul’s gang were even played by locals. Mikhalkov recalled that before the production started, they came up to him and asked: “Will you give us weapons or shall we bring ours?”
Director Nikita Mikhalkov, 1974/Mosfilm
You can watch the movie with English subtitles here.
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Emirates Dubai 7s is returning to The Sevens Stadium from November 27 to 29, with tickets now on sale for the three-day sports and entertainment festival.
The 2026 edition will bring together international rugby, amateur sports, live music and family entertainment, with organisers promising a bigger programme than previous years.
The festival attracted more than 88,000 visitors in 2025 and will again take place during the final weekend of the Dubai Fitness Challenge.
Ticket prices
Ticket prices for General Admission and Hospitality have stayed the same for a third consecutive year.
Three-day General Admission tickets cost Dh595 per person, while the three-day Family Pass is Dh1,136 for two adults and two children.
Other ticket options
- Group pass: Dh446 per person for four or more adults
- Saturday or Sunday: Dh455
- Friday: Dh75
- Under 15s: Free
- People of Determination + carer: Dh375
Tickets can be purchased through the Emirates Dubai 7s website and app.
Bigger family attractions
Family entertainment will get a major boost this year as the UAE celebrates the Year of the Family.
The festival will feature its biggest-ever Kids’ Zone, including the UAE’s largest inflatable kids’ zone, along with a Ferris wheel and zipline. More attractions are expected to be announced ahead of the event.
Six sports and top rugby action
Alongside elite rugby, visitors can watch or take part in competitions across six sports — rugby, netball, cricket, WODON3 fitness, Rebound padel and Gaelic Football.
Gaelic Football will join the festival for the first time in 2026.
The Sevens Stadium will also host the opening round of the HSBC SVNS Series 2027, bringing the world’s leading rugby sevens players to Dubai.
The WODON3 Elite final will take place on Pitch 1 between HSBC SVNS matches, with competitors potentially performing in front of crowds of up to 20,000.
Music all weekend
Live entertainment will run throughout the festival, with local and international artists performing across three days.
Last year’s line-up included Tinie Tempah, Sean Paul and Fisher, while the 2026 headline acts will be announced later.
For a premium experience, The Sunroom returns with all-inclusive food and drinks, shaded seating, prime sporting views and dedicated access. Packages start from Dh1,925 per person.
With sport, music and family attractions packed into one weekend, Emirates Dubai 7s is gearing up for another big Dubai event.
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