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Writer's pictureKaisern Chen

Russia, uncovered!

Updated: Aug 20

Winston Churchill once famously remarked, "Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." This notion reflects a common perception many people hold about Russia and its people, at least up until 2015.


Russia is a vast wonderland, encompassing nearly one-eighth of the Earth's landmass. If we exclude Antarctica, Russia accounts for roughly one-sixth of the planet's total area. Logically, if it had a population proportionate to its size, it would boast around 1.2 billion inhabitants. Yet, it has only about 144.5 million people.


Given that this enormous country covers much of the northern half of the Eurasian continent, with much of its territory situated above the 50th parallel—where subarctic and arctic climates prevail—the relatively low population density suggests that Russians possess tremendous resilience and warmth to thrive in such conditions. Based on my own experiences, especially with my many dear Russian friends, I can confidently say that they indeed have big, warm hearts that draw me back time and time again.


This blog serves as a tribute to Russia, featuring a collection of images I have taken since 2015, arranged in no particular order.


To start, I would like to echo the sentiments of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to fly in space in 1963, who once said, "If women can be railroad workers in Russia, why can't they fly in space?" This statement embodies the true spirit of Russia, showcasing the strength of both women and men.


I also want to extend my gratitude to Yury Chernyh and Oleg Ivanov, two remarkable Russians who have shown immense love for their country and land—and who have earned my deepest respect as friends. They opened my eyes to the real Russia, beginning in its picturesque villages.


As the first Pulitzer Prize winner in Fiction, Ernest Poole, a distinguished journalist, observed in his empathetic reports on revolutionary Russia during the upheaval of 1905 and the 1917 Revolution: "All the real things in Russia are done in the villages."


Indeed, many of my photographs reflect this sentiment, capturing the authentic essence of Russia.




Epiphany rites - This man takes a dip in the icy river water of Volga to celebrate Epiphany, a major holiday in Orthodox Christianity marking the birth and baptism of Jesus.

Epiphany rites, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe



Home - Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast. April 2016

Home - Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

The Kolomytsevs, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

Home, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast September 2017

family room, Levoberezhnoye, Yaroslavl Oblast December 7, 2019

Boys and girls, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

Russian teens, Kamenniki, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

The Russian girls, St. Petersburg August 2018

The friendly faces, Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

School girl, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Boys and the lollipops, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

The candy moment, Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

The friendly faces, Kostroma, Kostroma Oblast October 2018

The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow December 2016

Field class at the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Russin teens, Rybinsk suburbs, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

winter day, Rybinsk City, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Village girls, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

April day by the Volga River, Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

Russin teens, Rybinsk suburbs, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

school kids, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast, February 2019

Happy is he who does not notice whether summer is now or winter.

~ Anton Chekhov



game on the frozen pond, Levoberezhnoye, Yaroslavl Oblast, December 2019

Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

The soul is healed by being with children.

~ Fyodor Dostoevsky


Winter days, Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Kids play, Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

School kids, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

kids play, Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

Russian teens, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Boy's curiosity, St. Petersburg August 2018

Mom and her baby, Sonkovo, Tver Oblast September 2017

Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Winter days, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2019

Village girl, Iskra-Oktyabrya, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Russian girl, Prigorodnove, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

The village girl, Kamenniki, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Sasha by the Lake Nero, Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

Nikita and Matvey, Levoberezhnoye, Yaroslavl Oblast December 8, 2019

Village boy and his bicycle, Iskra-Oktyabrya, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Boys and the toys, Kamenniki, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Gypsy baby crying in his father's car, Bezhetsk, Tver Oblast September 2017

Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor, St. Petersburg August 2018

Melody at home, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

“Music is more potent instrument than any other for education, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul.” ~ Plato



Grisha, the chess player, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast December 2019

"Chess is everything; art, science, and sport"

~ Anatoly Karpov



Match between the generations, Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

The man!

Yury Chernyh, Moscow December 2016

Valentina, the great hostess and the woman behind the "Man" Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2018

Yury and Valentina on the Volga River cruise celebrating Oleg's birthday, Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast August 25, 2018

Oleg & Sasha Ivanov "Fly over reality", best hosts in Russia, Kostroma, Kostroma Oblast October 2018

Marsha and Sasha Ivanov, on Oleg's birthday cruise on the Volga River, Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast August 25, 2018

Sasha, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

the dinner table, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast December 2019

Elena, the great hostess and always busy, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

My wife, Kanjana Chaiwatanachai, Moscow December 2016

Farmer, Kukoboyskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Shopping, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast September 2017

Washing up in the banya is like being born again.

~ Russian proverb



Russian Banya, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast September 2017

The Holy Night on the frozen Volga River, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast January 18/19, 2017

Kukoboyskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Winter spirit, Poshekhonye-Volodarsk, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017




Armenian farmer in Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

Getting ready... Moscow, December 2016

Krillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Winter days, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Volzhskaya Embankment by the Volga River, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Construction worker, Prozorovskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Construction worker, Kirillo Belozersky Monastery, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

smoking break of a repairman, Bezhetsk, Tver Oblast September 2017

Village farmers, Kremenevskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

November days, Privolzhskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2018

Bezhetsk, Tver Oblast August 2018

Man at work, Kremenevskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Russian farmer, Prozorovskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2018

Farmer at work, Golovinskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022


Chacha, a clear and strong home brew Georgian pomace brandy also called "vine vodka".


Georgian Chacha, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast May 2015

I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol taken out of me.

~ Winston Churchill



Sergey, Rodionovo, Tver Oblast September 2017

village life, Iskra Oktyabrya, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

after work, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2010

The spirit break, Bezhetsk, Tver Oblast September 2017

to the heroes, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

The good company, Bezhetsk, Tver Oblast September 2017

We lost because we told ourselves we lost.

~ Leo Tolstoy



Study - Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

Metalsmith, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Sons of metalsmith, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast September 2017

early winter days, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast December 2019

"My favorite journey is looking out the window."

~ Edward Gorey


Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on the far end, Moscow, Russia February 2019

Construction workers, Kamennikovokiy, Yaroslavl Oblast, October 2018


“I didn't want to kiss you goodbye — that was the trouble — I wanted to kiss you good night — and there's a lot of difference.”

~ Ernest Hemingway



Love in Moscow - by the bank of Moscow River, Moscow, Russia February 2019

Love in Moscow, August 2018

Love in Moscow, February 2019

Love in St. Petersburg August 2018

Love in St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg August 2018

Love in Red Square, Moscow February 2019

Love in Moscow February 2019

Love in Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Rybinsk-Passazhirskij Train Station, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Moscow, Russia February 2019

My wife, Kanjana Chaiwatanachai, making footprints in Moscow December 2016

Early winter day, Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Transfiguration Church, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia February 2019

In the kingdom of hope, there is no winter.

~ Russia Proverb




keep running, Moscow December 2016

Winter days, Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter days, Poshekhonye-Volodarsk, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Winter days, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter days, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter days, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter days, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter days, Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

fisherman on the frozen lake, Kremenevskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast December 2019

Side by side on the Volzhskaya Embankment by the Volga River, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter day, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

Side by side, Moscow, December 2016

Along the frozen Neva River, St. Petersburg December 2016

Winter days, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

Moscow, December 2016

Winter is cold for those who do not have warm memories.

~" An Unforgettable Romance"



Winter days, Rybinsk suburbs, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Early winter, Levoberezhnoye, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2019

Lake Siverskoye, Goritsa Village, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Step by step, Levoberezhnoye, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2019

Winter days, Kremenevskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

The winter scene of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

You cannot visit Rybinsk and not to fall in love with the the city!

Over the frozen Korovka River, Rybinksk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Kukoboyskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Rybinsk suburbs, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

Early winter, Rybinsk suburbs, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Late fall, Privolzhskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2018

Autumn days, the Volga River - Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Sunset time, Neva River, St. Petersburg August 2018

"Heavenly bodies are nests of invisible birds."

~ Dejan Stojanovic


freedom, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter days, Moscow February 2019

Nothing in this world compares to the comfort and security of having someone just hold your hand.

~ Richelle E. Goodrich



Hand in hand, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Hand in hand, Kamenniki, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Farm works, Kremenevskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast February, 2019

Snow and cold weather will not stop the Russian, even the small boys!


Village lives, Kremenevskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast February, 2019

Village life, Kremenevskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter days, Goritsa Village, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Village life, Iskra-Oktyabrya, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Police patrol, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

The local farmers and their goats, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast December 2019

Swing in the October days, Prozorovskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Winter days, Poshekhonye-Volodarsk, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Winter days, Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Family crossing frozen Volga River, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast. January 2017

The landscape of the Russian soul corresponds with the landscape of Russia.

~ Nikolai Berdyaev


Winter days, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter days, Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Fatherhood, Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia February 2019

Winter days, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Winter playground, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

December days, St. Petersburg December 2016

Solitude, Moscow February 2019

Vera, Glebovskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast December 2019

Local girl and her Siberian Husky Yaroslavl City Park of Culture and Leisure, Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Winter days, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Winter days, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

The village people and his puppies, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

November days, Prozorovskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2018

The puppy time, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

the Patrol, Goritsa Village, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Winter days, Levoberezhnoye, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2019

Winter days, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

The center of the attention, Nazarovskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast December 2019

Village farmer and his dog, Iskra-Oktyabrya, Rybinsk Yaroslavl August 2018

Moscow August 2018

Homeward, St. Petersburg August 2018

Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

A young mom and her dog, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast September 2017

Men's best friends, Rybinsk suburbs, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

School girls and their dog, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

The navigator, Kostroma, Kostroma Oblast October 2018

Rybinsk City, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

Man and his dog, Rybinsk Suburbs, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Walks the puppy, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2018

Metalsmith and his dog, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast September 2017

Kirrilov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Late October, Vereteyskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

The guard, Levoberezhnoye, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2019

Taking leak, Rybinsk suburbs, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Winter days, Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Early spring days, Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast March 2022

ID Check! St. Petersburg August 2018

crossing the frozen Volga River, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

October days, Prozorovskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2108

Grocery shop, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

Yury, Poshekhonye-Volodarsk, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Valentina, Goritsa village, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Moments after the capture of the last image, we were invited into Valentina's house and served each of us hot tea. Valentina, 89, sat by the window in good spirit!


"There is more light than can be seen through a window." ~ Russian proverb


Valentina, Goritsa village, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Village life, grand-daughter, her grand-father and the family dog! Rybinsk suburb, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Village life, Rybinsk suburb, Yaroslavl Oblast August 2018

Winter days, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast December 2019

Mom and her baby, Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2016

Mom and her baby, Bezhetsk, Tver Oblast September 2017

Family day, Moscow February 2019

Summertime by the Neva River beach, St. Petersburg August 2018

village life, Tutayev, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2019

"You probably think that my future landscapes will be soaked in pessimism, so to speak? Don't worry, I love nature too much."

~ Isaac Levitan


Landscape painter by the frozen Volga River, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

painters on the frozen Volga River, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

The good company, Rybinsk suburbs, Yaroslavl Oblast January 2017

Winter days, Myshkin, Yaroslavl Oblast February 2019

White spring, Privolzhskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Freedom on the Volga River, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2018

Fisherman on the Volga River, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2018

Yury, the Russian man, Privolzhskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Yury, Privolzhskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast November 2018

What a pleasure to photograph around St. Petersburg with two great friends, and great photographers, the iconic Steve McCurry and Yury Chernyh (also the greatest host I could ever ask for), and a bit of whiskey. ~ August 2018



With the great Steve McCurry, Yury, and a bit of whiskey, St. Petersburg August 2018

Boris, Levoberezhnoye, Yaroslavl Oblast December 2019

Sergei & Yury, Kirillov, Vologda Oblast December 2019

Igor Gavrilov, Moscow based photographer, World Press Photo winner, Golovinskoye, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

Yury and Igor Gavrilov, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

with my wife, Kanjana Chaiwatanachai, Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl Oblast April 2017

Mikhail Kolomytsev, one of the best accordion players in Russia, a great host who gave me an unforgettable Russian "Banya" experience at his Tutayev home. Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

Sometimes it is not easy to explain why took the picture, but I just did, and got some Russian words that I don't understand. Rybinsk-Passazhirskij, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast. October 2018


Rybinsk is a small but well functioning city with just everything like a larger city. I was roaming on the streets and sneaked into a building to find a studio on the second floor with the door half-opened; I entered uninvited, with my camera. The girl inside the studio had questions on her face, but she was friendly, like most Russian.


I command no Russian and tried to explain to her that I am a traveler and made the gesture that I would like to take a picture of her, not knowing if she was the photographer at the studio or worked there.


Then I took her picture!


Sneaking into a local studio as a total stranger... Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast October 2018

Knitting socks in winter days, Prigorodnoye, Yaroslavl Oblast March 2022

Moscow February 2019

Palace Square, St. Petersburg August 2018

Saturday morning, St. Petersburg August 2018