South Korean teenagers participate in a warfare exercise as part of the Special Warfare Command's training course at a military base on August 4, 2011 in Seoul, South Korea. About 1,000 civilian volunteers including middle and high school students participated in the special force's four-day training programme to develop their spiritual and physical strength. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

A woman walk by South Korean police during a anti-terror exercise on March 9, 2012 in Seoul, South Korea. The drill is part of South Korea's preparation for the upcoming 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, scheduled for March 26 and 27. Some 50 world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, are expected to attend the summit to discuss how to make the world safe without nuclear weapons. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

To produce the images that convey his fatalistic and ironic approach to life, tinged with hope, he needed the environment and knowledge of Mother Russia, oiled with a bit of bribery to certain circus trainers. Enter the Great Russian Bear, the personification of Russia for the last several centuries, onto center stage and into his studio. The bear is recognized as both brutish and cute – Misha was the mascot for the 1980 Olympic Games – and has remained a symbol of Russia since Tsarist times. In 2009 it is the symbol of the United Russia Party.

If life wasn’t exciting enough for these beautiful tortoises, they now get to wear a selection of fantastic knitted suits. They made a very slow sashay down the catwalk to showcase the talents of Katie Bradley. She has made cute woolly suits from 25 designs to transform the little animals into a shark, a lobster, a burrito, a burger, bumble bee and a birthday cake.

Korean War veteran Jon Sun Rye, 83 years old, walks after she paid respect to former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea, 15 April 2016. North Korea is marking the “Day of the Sun”, celebrating the day of birth of the country's founder, Kim Il-sung. The Day of the Sun is a national holiday. (Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA)

A South Korean model poses with Peugeot 5008GT during a press preview of the Seoul Motor Show in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, on March 30, 2017. South Korea's largest international auto show will open on March 31, with a total of 27 brands showing their latest cars and concepts. (Photo by Jung Yeon-Je/AFP Photo)

South Korean students pose for a selfie following a traditional coming-of-age ceremony at Namsan hanok village in Seoul on May 15, 2017. The Coming of Age Day is the day to celebrate and encourage the youth who have reached the age of 20, which is considered the beginning of adulthood. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)

This picture taken on October 10, 2020 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on October 11, 2020 shows the military parade during a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea at Kim Il-sung Square of Pyongyang. (Photo by KCNA via KNS/AFP Photo)