Krasnoyarsk Krai



Krasnoyarsk Krai

Name: Elena Chernyshyova

Age: 34

Profession: Photographer

Cities: Norilsk, Kodinsk (both in Krasnoyarsk Krai)

How long have you lived there?: 9 months and 4 days, respectively

A short description of your city?:

Norilsk is Siberia, 400 km beyond the Arctic Circle, permafrost, nine months of winter, 45 days of Polar Night, a city that can only be reached by plane... It has the world's largest metallurgical plant for the mining and production of nickel, cobalt, lead, palladium and platinum.

Kodinsk is located in Siberia, in Krasnoyarsk region. The city was created for the builders of the Boguchansky Hydroelectric Station, which is along the Angara River. Due to the collapse of the USSR and temporary stoppage of work on the station's construction, it took 30 years to complete and was only opened in 2014.

Tell us something about your city that only locals would know:

Norilsk:  Whenever there is a serious blizzard or the temperature drops really low, and kids should not go to school, an aktirovka is declared. The kids stay home and their homework assignments are sent out as text messages.

Saguday – a disk made from fresh, northern fish.

A taxi ride through the city only costs 100R ($1.50).

Kodinsk: Several regions of Kodinsk have unofficial names, like India and Lukomorye. The "sea" – Boguchanskoye Reservoir – was still in the planning stages when the more poetic name Lukomorye took hold. India is simply a monument to certain Kodinsk residents: a region of individual homes that was built through group effort – a method popular in the 1980s with the Komsomol-youth projects – on nights and weekends.

Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city?

Norilsk: Shmidt Hill (Gora Shmidta), with its old tunnels, the remains of a narrow gauge railway, and an excellent view of the city. Also, the abandoned villages of Medvezhy and Zapadny.

Kodinsk: Boguchanskaya Hydroelectric Station. Children's playgrounds with their metal sculptures. The horseback riding club Mustang, in Syromolotovo.

Tell us a bit about your photography, how long you have been doing it and what you are interested in: 17 years. I shot on film and now shoot digital. I find the entire process interesting. I love to shoot the daily lives of people.



Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955