Nikolay
Losev
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- Patriotism
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COVID
- Knife Fight
- Novozybkov
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Nikolay Losev,
documentary photographer
In recent years, Russia has witnessed a dramatic increase in military sentiment, particularly following the events of 2014, which included the annexation of Crimea and subsequent military actions in southwestern Ukraine. This phenomenon gained further momentum after Russia launched a large-scale military operation in Syria in September 2015. Since then, military-patriotic sentiments have been on the rise among the general population of Russia, with the image of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) against Nazi Germany, which Russia won, being actively exploited.
During this period, military-patriotic events from the USSR era have been restored, and the All-Russian Military Patriotic Movement 'Yunarmiya' ('The Youth Army') was established by decree of the President of the Russian Federation on October 29, 2015. By May 2018, the movement had over 230,000 participants.
The Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War is now celebrated on an astounding scale, with millions of people across Russia taking part in various events and celebrations. However, while in the USSR these events were held under the slogan 'We Don't Need War', in contemporary Russia, the slogan 'We Can Repeat' has become widespread, appearing on cars and T-shirts of citizens with patriotic sentiments.
As a result, there is a pervasive sense that the entire country is being prepared for a major war in the future, with the idea of Russia's military superiority being instilled in the minds of its people. Considering Russia's foreign policy, this creates a particular background that cannot be easily ignored, as it permeates people's everyday lives and alters everything.
Massive reconstructions of WWII events and mass patriotic events have become signs of the times in contemporary Russia. For several years, from 2016 to 2021, I have observed the increase in patriotic sentiments in Russia. The photographs made during this period are presented in this project.
St. Petersburg, Sevkabel Port. Three-dimensional diorama "Memory Speaks. The Road Through the War." Visitors observing the diorama.
Leningrad region. A tactical training club that implements the concept of PCS (Paramilitary Civilian Service). Open training session titled "Fighter in the Building."
Leningrad region. Tactic.pro - a tactical training club that implements the concept of PCS (Paramilitary Civilian Service). A training session in tactical medicine. Simulation of a wound as part of a tactical medicine training session.
St. Petersburg, Palace Square. A line of members of the All-Russian Military Patriotic Movement 'Yunarmiya' ('The Youth Army') during a rehearsal of a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad by Soviet troops during World War II.
St. Petersburg. Preparations for the parade featuring veterans and participants in period clothing driving retro cars along Nevsky Prospect as part of the events dedicated to Victory Day.
Leningrad region. Military Sports Games for Children and Youth 'Zarnitsa' and 'The School of Security' Tournament. Teenagers are participating in a competition involving the speed loading of an assault rifle magazine.
St. Petersburg, Murinsky Park. A Mass Youth Patriotic Event in honor of Russia Day. A girl is posing with a rifle discovered by search squads on the battlefields of World War II.
Moscow, Sokolniki Park. "Tankodrome" attraction. Adults and children ride on scale models of T-34 tanks.
St. Petersburg, Moskovsky Railway Station. A military patriotic event titled 'The Syrian Breakthrough'. A boy stands next to a captured tank from Syria and poses for his friend who is taking a picture.
Saint Petersburg. Preparations for the parade of veterans in retro cars along Nevsky Prospekt as part of the festive events dedicated to Victory Day. A portrait of Stalin is attached to one of the cars participating in the parade.
St. Petersburg, Moscow Victory Park, Alley of Heroes. The annual 24-hour patriotic event 'The Vigil in Memory of Leningrad' dedicated to the victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) takes place in the Moscow Victory Park (Alley of Heroes). A boy dressed in a World War II-era military uniform will stand on this spot without moving for one hour.
St. Petersburg, Moskovsky Railway Station. A military patriotic event titled 'The Syrian Breakthrough'. Members of the All-Russian Military Patriotic Movement 'Yunarmiya' ('The Youth Army') pose in front of a train displaying captured military equipment from Syria.
'The Syrian Breakthrough' event is a mobile exhibition of captured military equipment and weapons obtained during the Syrian campaign. The event was organized by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. It commenced on February 23, 2019, from the Kazan Railway Station. The train traveled through the entirety of Russia, from Moscow to Vladivostok, between February 23 and April 28. The train made stops in 62 settlements. According to Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the Main Military Political Directorate of the Armed Forces, Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov, more than 1 million Russians visited the traveling exhibition of captured weapons from terrorists, titled 'The Syrian Breakthrough'. In St. Petersburg, the exhibition was visited by 54,650 people, according to information provided by the Ministry of Defense.
St. Petersburg, House of Officers. An initiation ceremony for 45 students from the Krasnoselsky district into the All-Russian Military Patriotic Movement 'Yunarmiya' ('The Youth Army'). Young Army members performing on stage.
St. Petersburg, Sevkabel Port. Three-dimensional diorama "Memory Speaks. The Road Through the War." Visitors observe the diorama.
Leningrad region. Tactic.pro - a tactical training club that implements the concept of PCS (Paramilitary Civilian Service). A training session in tactical medicine.
Leningrad region. Tactic.pro - a tactical training club that implements the concept of PCS (Paramilitary Civilian Service). A training session in tactical medicine. Simulation of a wound as part of a tactical medicine training session.
St. Petersburg, club "Vyborg Side". A meeting of high school students and students of secondary vocational education institutions of the Vyborg region with participants of local wars, titled 'Afghanistan Reaches Out to Us Through the Years', dedicated to the day of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Sergei Anatolyevich Andenko, Deputy Head of the Military Medical Academy for Cooperation with Government Agencies, is giving a speech about his participation in the military campaign in Afghanistan.
St. Petersburg, Moskovsky Railway Station. A military patriotic event titled 'The Syrian Breakthrough'. Residents of St. Petersburg are viewing the exhibited military equipment and weapons. A girl is posing for a photo next to a mortar shell.
Leningrad region, "January Thunder" memorial. The annual military historical festival 'In the Footsteps of the Breakthrough'. A historical reenactment of the Soviet operation to lift the Siege of Leningrad in January 1944. Discarded mannequins piled in a heap.
Training session at the Bryansk regional youth public organization "Military Sports Club 'Patriot'" which focuses on airborne training.
St. Petersburg, House of Officers. An initiation ceremony for 45 students from the Krasnoselsky district into the All-Russian Military Patriotic Movement 'Yunarmiya' ('The Youth Army'). Future members are seated in the Great Hall during the ceremony.
Moscow, Poklonnaya Hill, Victory Monument and Museum. Students from School #1631 are standing guard at Post #1 near the Victory Monument and Museum.
St. Petersburg, Alexander Garden. Girls taking selfies in garrison caps, replicas of the garrison caps worn by the Soviet Army during the World War II period. These replica caps are worn by the majority of spectators attending the military parade in honor of the Soviet Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
St. Petersburg, beach at the park commemorating the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The Fifth Family Military Historical Festival 'Battle Steel'. Visitors to the festival could use a shooting gallery with air guns. A father is teaching his son how to shoot an airsoft rifle.
St. Petersburg, beach at the park commemorating the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The Fifth Family Military Historical Festival 'Battle Steel'. Visitors had the opportunity to fire a blank shot from a cannon. A cannon crew member is helping a boy to fire the cannon.