* Caspian Sea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Sea
(The word Caspian is derived from the name of the Caspi, ancient people who lived to the south-west of the sea in Transcaucasia [or South Caucasus]))
(c) The BBC states, "普京是在参加'谢利格尔-2012'全俄青年论坛期间回答一名卡尔梅克青年提问时做出以上表态的。"
(i) Seliger (forum)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seliger_(forum)
(«Seliger» is an educational forum (camp) held since 2005 at Lake Seliger in the Russian Tver Region (350 km from Moscow))
(ii) Tver Oblast
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tver_Oblast
(d) The BBC at last explains, "位于俄罗斯里海之滨的卡尔梅克共和国的约30万居民中有超过半数的居民是信奉佛教的蒙古族。他们是蒙古土尔扈特部，该部大部分居民在清朝因不堪沙俄压迫而东迁回归，定居在现日的新疆巴音郭楞蒙古自治州，而留在俄罗斯境内的就是现在的卡尔梅克人。"
(i) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmykia
(3 History: 3.1 Kalmyk autonomy, 3.2 Imposition of Russian rule)
Quote: "The ancestors of the Kalmyks, the Oirats, migrated from the steppes of southern Siberia on the banks of the Irtysh River to the Lower Volga region. Various reasons have been given for the move, but the generally accepted answer is that the Kalmyks sought abundant pastures for their herds. Another motivation may have been to escape the growing dominance of the neighboring Dzungar Mongol tribe. They reached the lower Volga region in or about 1630. That land, however, was not uncontested pastures, but rather the homeland of the Nogai Horde, a confederation of Turkic-speaking nomadic tribes. The Kalmyks expelled the Nogais * * * Within 25 years of settling in the lower Volga region, the Kalmyks became subjects of the Tsar. * * * Ubashi Khan, the great-grandson Ayuka Khan and the last Kalmyk Khan, decided to return his people to their ancestral homeland, Dzungaria. Under his leadership, approximately 200,000 Kalmyks migrated directly across the Central Asian desert. Along the way, many Kalmyks were killed in ambushes or captured and enslaved by their Kazakh and Kyrgyz enemies. Many also died of starvation or thirst. After several grueling months of travel, only 96,000 Kalmyks reached the Manchu Empire's western outposts Xinjiang near the Balkhash Lake [in Kazakhstan])
(ii) 巴音郭楞蒙古自治州 Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayingolin_Mongol_Autonomous_Prefecture
(e) The RIA Novosti comments, "The Dalai Lama last traveled to Russia on an informal visit in 1992. He took part in a sacred service in the Ivolga Datsan (monastery), the Buryatia-based Russian Buddhism Center."
(i) For "Ivolga Datsan," see Ivolginsky Datsan
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivolginsky_Datsan
(the Buddhist Temple located in Buryatia, Russia, 23 km from Ulan Ude)
(ii) Buryatia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buryatia
(a republic of Russia; Its capital is the city of Ulan-Ude)