Kuranty

(chimes), an old name for a tower clock or a large chamber clock with a musical mechanism that chimes in a fixed melodic sequence or performs short musical pieces.

the first Russian manuscript newspapers, subsequently called Vedomosti, Vesti, and Vestovye pis’ma. The earliest extant copies are dated 1621. They were compiled by the Posol’skii Prikaz (Foreign Office) in a very limited quantity to provide the government with information about events in other countries. The papers dealt with such topics as diplomatic relations, military affairs, and the domestic affairs of other states. Dutch and German newspapers, other foreign printed material, and the letters of Russians residing abroad were the sources of compilation. The newspapers were the precursors of the Russian printed newspaper Vedomosti, which began appearing in late 1702 or early 1703.