Crimea became part of Ukraine in 1954, when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred peninsula from Russia to Ukraine, then both Soviet republics. It became synonymous with the Soviet good life, a summer playground on the shores of the Black Sea. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the peninsula remained part of Ukraine. Sevastopol stayed home to […]
Bolshoi Vanity
There are 124 ballerinas altogether in the Bolshoi and only 21 of them bear a magic title Premiere Danseuse. What does it take to be The Prima of Bolshoi – only they know.
Killing Time
Penal colony № 56 (Black Eagle) is a high security Russian prison exclusively for murderers, where 260 men, who altogether are responsible for 800 murders, are locked up. There are maniacs, rapists, serial killers, mafia hitmen and the terrorists – most dangerous criminals of Russia. The camp is located in the heart of the Northern […]
Doctor Baiev
Chechnya takes first place in Russia in terms of infant mortality and congenital malformation statistics. Surgical «marathon» Operation Smile, held in Grozny, is the only hope for children with disabilities like hemangioma, cleft palate or harelip, because all operations are cost free. The ex-war surgeon Khassan Baiev is key organiser of the event. Period of […]
Veterans Of Spetsnaz
2009 marked the 30th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and 15 years since the war in Chechnya broke out. In both conflicts the Russian Special Forces (Spetsnaz) played key, front-line roles. They are the elite of Russia’s armed forces – the country’s toughest and best trained crack force – deployed only in the […]
The Ordeal: 70 Years On
February 2014 was 70-years anniversary of the mass exile of the North Caucasus nations under the order of Joseph Stalin. Those ethnic groups, seen as non-loyal to the Soviets, have been branded as “nations-traitors” and in punishment were exiled en mass from their homelands to Siberia and Central Asia. The most famous was the exile […]
Ukrainian Chronicles
Ukraine, one of the largest territories in Europe. The great nation, proud, fervent and talented in many ways – they knew the suffering and humiliation, but wedged between Europe and Russia, historically on political crossroad, Ukraine could hardly become a success story of the post-Communist transition. The process of dissolution of the Soviet Empire is […]
Caucasus Chronicles
I took photos of the 2nd war in Chechnya and all the subsequent dramatic events in the North Caucasus from 1999 to 2010. I did not choose sides and took pictures everywhere I could, trying to get as close as possible to events. I became convinced that the gulf between the Caucasus and Russia is […]