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

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

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.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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