These stunning photographs of the world’s last remaining Mongolian eagle keepers show the incredible bond between man and bird. The images were taken by photography tour guide Daniel Kordan, 29, in September 2018. (Photo by Daniel Kordan/Caters News Agency)

Workers pull a rope tied to a decommissioned oil rig to dismantle it at the Alang shipyard in the western state of Gujarat, India, May 29, 2018. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)

An armed tribesman loyal to Houthis steps on a US flag during an anti-USA and anti-Israel rally, in Sana'a, Yemen, 29 January 2024. (Photo by Yahya Arhab/EPA/EFE)

This aerial picture taken on June 29, 2024 shows fishing boats moored at a beach in Danang, central Vietnam. (Photo by Dale De La Rey/AFP Photo)

Archer Sheetal Devi from India prepares to fire during the Paralympic Games in Paris on Thursday, August 29, 2024. (Photo by Felix Scheyer/AP Photo)

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.

A sauna building sits above the clouds at 9,280 feet (2,752 meters) at the Rifugio Lagazuoi in the Dolomite Mountains near Cortina d' Ampezzo in northern Italy July 17, 2015. The Dolomites are home to the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in August, 2009. (Photo by Bob Strong/Reuters)

A girl plays with colourful papers at the 23rd Sziget (Island) Festival on Shipyard Island in Budapest, Hungary, 13 August 2015. The festival is one of the biggest cultural events of Europe, offering art exhibitions, theatrical and circus performances and music concerts. Almost 200 performers from 47 countries will entertain the hundreds of thousands of visitors from 11 to 18 August. (Photo by Balazs Mohai/EPA)