New flights to aid backpacking around Russia

Backpacking to the some of the more remote regions in Russia is likely to get easier this summer, with the unveiling of flights to 12 more cities by airline KD avia.

The Russian airline is to offer daily flights from its Kaliningrad hub during the summer of 2008, servicing locations including Moscow, St Petersburg, Perm, Samara, Ufa and Omsk.

Gap year travel looks set to get a lot easier for those heading off from the 14 cities the Russian airline services, including Berlin, Hamburg, Barcelona, Rome, Paris and Milan.

However, KD avia's UK sales manager, Loreta Durrell, noted that for many student travel enthusiasts and backpackers, there is little reason to explore beyond Kaliningrad itself.

She said: "We are seeing a growth in tourism to the fascinating city of Kaliningrad, historically called Konigsberg."

The city was recently the subject of media attention when treasure hunters claimed to have found two tonnes of looted Nazi gold, which was previously exhibited in Konigsberg castle during the war.