Founded in the 12th century, the capital of the Russian Federation is blessed with charm and a rich architecture and cultural history, with landmarks such as the Bolshoi Theatre. It is the home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Kremlin and the Red Square. Today, the dynamic metropolitan area boasts over 12 million inhabitants from 130 nationalities, drawing in a further four million tourists every year. This international dimension is again put into the spotlight this year, as Moscow hosts the main venue of the 2018 FIFA World Cup: the 145 hectare Olympic complex of the Luzhniki Stadium, where the Cup will be kicked off on 14 June, with a match between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The city, surrounded by satellite towns and neighbourhoods that form the Moscow Region, is nicely captured (cyan) in this false-colour image from PROBA-V.