In northwest Russia, in a small village called Alekhovshchina, Nadia Sablin's aunts spend the warmer months together in the family home and live as the family has always lived, chopping wood to heat the house and making their own clothes. Sablin's book of photographs, “Aunties: The Seven Summers of Alevtina and Ludmila”, is published by Duke University Press. Here: “Two-Handed Saw, 2014”. (Photo by Nadia Sablin)

First year cadets of the Military University of Communication smile before an oath-taking ceremony in St.Petersburg September 6, 2014. Some 700 first year cadets of the academy attended the ceremony before starting their studies. (Photo by Alexander Demianchuk/Reuters)

Members of the local Cossack community undergo military training at a boot camp set up by the Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) military patriotic club in the village of Sengileyevskoye, south of Stavropol, March 22, 2015. A group of cossacks from the village of Kazanskaya, who are planning a professional career at the military intelligence service, has arrived at a camp for training under the leadership of professional instructors. (Photo by Eduard Korniyenko/Reuters)

A Russian digital artist Svetlana Petrova has taken her love of cats to the next level – by adding her furry friend to some of the world's greatest artwork. Svetlana has placed photos of her tabby, called Zarathustra, posing alongside the most well-known pieces in history for her UK exhibition. (Photo by Svetlana Petrova/Zarathustra the Cat)

A view of the facade of a house in the village of Cherevkovo, Arkhangelsk region, Russia, July 12, 2016. Traditional wooden houses, many featuring exquisite carvings and craftsmanship, are falling into decay across Russia because of neglect, lack of funds and an exodus from the countryside to the cities. Urbanisation and a low birth rate are emptying out the countryside, and residents and authorities are often largely indifferent towards the historical value of their properties. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

The Rio dry cargo ship that has ran aground during a storm in December 2018 in Kabardinka, Krasnodar Territory, Russia on August 11, 2020. The vessel has become a tourist attraction of the region. (Photo by Alexander Ryumin/TASS)

A man bathes in an ice hole in the Neva River St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, February 10, 2021. The temperature in St. Petersburg is –15C ( 5 °F). (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

A sailor of the Marshal Shaposhnikov anti-submarine destroyer takes part in the “Vostok-2022” military exercises at the Peter the Great Gulf of the Sea of Japan outside the city of Vladivostok on September 5, 2022. The Vostok 2022 military exercises, involving several Kremlin-friendly countries including China, takes place from September 1-7 across several training grounds in Russia's Far East and in the waters off it. Over 50,000 soldiers and more than 5,000 units of military equipment, including 140 aircraft and 60 ships, are involved in the drills. (Photo by Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP Photo)