BATTALION “VOSTOK”, LED BY FAMOUS CHECHEN WARLORD SULIM YAMADAYEV WAS ORGANISED FROM A FEW THOUSANDS OF CHECHEN INSURGENTS, WHO FOUGHT THE RUSSIANS IN THE REPUBLIC’S 1^ST WAR FROM 1994-96, BUT CHANGED SIDES AND JOINED MOSCOW’S BATTLE AGAINST ISLAMITE MILITANTS IN THE CURRENT CONFLICT, WHICH BEGAN 1999. BASED 25 MILES EAST OF THE BOMBED OUT CAPITAL GROZNY, THE SPECIAL FORCES BATTALION IS UNDER COMMAND OF RUSSIA’S MINISTRY OF DEFENSE AND CLAIMS IT’S MISSION IS TO KILL THE “SHAITANY” (DEVILS) – RADICAL ISLAMITE UNDERGROUND’ FIGHTERS AND IT’S ARAB ALLIES, WHO ARE STILL FIGHTING THE KREMLIN TROOPS. THE BATTALION HAS LOST OVER A 100 OF FIGHTERS IN THIS RUTHLESS WAR AND KILLED MORE THAN 500 INSURGENTS. “VOSTOK” WORKING METHODS ARE OFTEN CRITICIZED BY THE HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS, WHICH ACCUSE “YAMADAYEVTSY” OF NUMEROUS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS, EXTRAJUDICAL EXECUTIONS, ABDUCTIONS AND TORTURES OF DETAINEES AND SECRET MURDERS OF THEIR OPPONENTS.

I was on assignment with "RUSSIAN REPORTER" magazine for 19 days in Dagestan covering Russian Special Forces. Here, on my personal site you can see the whole reportage and this is a link to the magazine website with my text and my pictures.

Over the past five months, on assignment for The Sunday Times Mag and Stern's Park Avenu Mag supplement, I have spent much time with Andrey Lugovoy - Britain's most wanted man, who was accused of poisoning Alexandr Litvinenko - the Russian defector in London. Here is a photographic record of our meetings.

On assignment for The Russian Reporter I went to Bayanda oil site - Komi republic. http://www.rusrep.ru/2008/41/neft/

RUSSIAN KAMCHATKA - A NEARLY MYTHICAL PENINSULA, KNOWN AS "NORTHERN AMAZON", WHOSE WILD AND UNTOUCHED REGION OF VOLCANOES AND GLACIERS WAS A CLOSED SOVIET MILITARY ZONE UNTIL 15 YEARS AGO. IT IS ALSO ONE OF THE LAST SALMON STRONGHOLDS ON A PLANET. EVERY YEAR TENS OF MILLIONS OF PACIFIC SALMON SPAWN IN THE WATERSHEDS OF KAMCHATKA. AS A RESULT OF ECONOMICAL CHAOS AND DISINTEGRATION OF SOVIET FISHING INDUSTRY ON RUSSIA'S FAR EAST, POACHING  - FROM SUBSISTENCE HARVEST TO INDUSTRIAL-SCALE EGG-STRIPPING OF SALMON FOR CAVIAR - IS NEARLY UNCHECKED. A FEW OF THE PENINSULA'S SALMON RIVERS ARE ALMOST DEPLETED AND OTHERS ARE AT RISK. HOWEVER, THERE IS A CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM AND EVEN AN EXAMPLE IN WHICH RUSSIA IS AHEAD OF THE UNITED STATES!

A STERVA, WHICH IN RUSSIAN MEANS, LITERALLY, "BITCH' IS NOT A BAD THING AT ALL. THE SIX-WEEK COURSE TAUGHT BY PSYCHOLOGIST VLADIMIR RAKOVSKY -  GURU OF STERVOLOGIA, OR THE FINE ART OF MANIPULATING MEN - TRAINS RUSSIAN WOMEN HOW TO BE BITCHY. WAITING FOR THE MAN OF YOUR DREAMS CAN TAKE A LIFETIME, AND METHODS OF SEDUCTION - FROM FLIRTATION TO TECHNIQUES OF HI-END ORAL SEX ARE STUDIED IN THE NAME OF ACHIEVING ONE GOAL: FORCING A MAN TO HIS KNEES.

The worst political crisis between the West and Russia since Cold War was caused by an attack of the Georgian army on self-proclaimed republics, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, that were given military and political support by Russia. I visited both rebellious republics on assignment for The Russian Reporter, The Sunday Times and Der Spiegel and covered life before the war and at war there. However victorious Russia, Southern Osetiya and Abkhaziya feel, indeed there were no winners in that strange conflict, but only deceived and manipulated dosens of thousands.

I WENT PAKISTAN SIX MONTHS UPON THE EARTHQUAKE, WHICH HAS WIPED MANY CITIES AND VILLAGES OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. HERE ARE THE IMAGES OF THESE FACE-OFF PLACES, AND PEOPLE, STILL BELONGING TO THEM

THE BELLOW OF THE CANNON HAS FINALLY STOPPED AND THE AFTERMATH OF DESTRUCTIVE WAR LOOKS ENORMOUS. I HAVE FOCUSED ON SURVIVING INGENUITY OF CHECHENS. I ALWAYS KNEW AND RESPECTED CHECHENS' INCREDIBLE TALENT FOR ADAPTATION AND THEIR AMAZING RESOURCEFULNESS. THE OTHER THING I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT JOURNALISTS ARE NOT WELCOME ANYMORE, BECAUSE CHECHENS DO NOT WANT ANYBODY STIR UP OLD WOUNDS, THEY WANT JUST TO LIVE IN PEACE.

THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE ASSIGNED AA GILL AND HIS MATE MR. TOP GEAR TO INVESTIGATE HOW MANIC MOSCOW COULD BE? I FOLLOWED THEM WITH PHOTOCAMERA IN HANDS AND SCOOPED UP MANY PLEASURES: GWYNETH PALTROW IN A CRATE, JEREMY CLARKSON IN STRIPTEASE CLUB AND AA GILL MAKING THINGS RED ON THE RED SQUARE.

AS WORLD HAS ALMOST FORGOTTEN ABOUT CHERNOBYL DRAMA, PEOPLE OF "DESOLATION ZONE" - CONTAMINATED TERRA, AND THOSE DAILY GOING TO THEIR OFFICES AT THE STATION ITSELF, PREPARE TO OVERCOME ANOTHER JUBILEE OF 20-YEAR-AGO TRAGEDY...

SNOW LEOPARD IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND ENDANGERED BIG CATS IN THE WORLD. SCIENTISTS ENCOUNTED NO MORE THAN 500 OF THEM ON A PLANET, MAINLY CONCENTRATED IN TIEN SHAN GORGES OF KYRGYZSTAN. GERMAN AND ENGLISH NATURE CARE ORGANISATIONS HAVE LAUNCHED NATURAL PARK PROJECT IN FRAMES OF INTERNATIONAL VENTURE "GRUPPA BARS". AT THE CENTER OF THIS PROJECT IS SPECIAL TASK FORCE "BARS". THERE ARE ONLY FOUR OF THEM. THEY HAVE SPECIAL AUTHORITIES GIVEN BY THE GOVERNMENT OF REPUBLIC. THEIR OPERATIONS, BOTH OFFICIAL AND ALMOST OFTEN UNDERCOVER THROUGHOUT KYRGHYZSTAN, INCLUDE ARRESTING SUSPECTS, AND CONFISCATING FURS.

ANTI-HEROIN THERAPY OF THE EX-SOVIET AFGHAN ALIGNMENT'S MEDICAL OFFICER MIKHAIL ZOBIN  IS A RUSSIAN "KNOW-HOW". AND SUCCESSFULL ONE. IT DOES GIVE 85 % OF SUCCEESS GUARANTEE TO THE HEROIN ADDICTS WITH MORE THAN 10-YEARS OF HISTORY. ZOBIN'S METHOD IS BASED ON ELECTRIC-MAGNETIC EMANATION. THIS SELECTION OF PHOTOS DOCUMENTS THERAPY COURSE OF WESTERN HEROIN-ADDICT WITH 15-YEARS OF HISTORY.

UNISEF CLAIM THAT CHECHNYA, WHICH ONE CAN CROSS WITHIN THREE HOURS, IS THE MOST HEAVILY MINED PLACE IN THE WORLD, IN TERMS OF DENSITY. IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS OVER HALF OF MILLION OF LANDMINES AND UNATTENDED EXPLOSIVES, LEFT BY BOTH SIDES, HAVE KILLED OR MAIMED MORE THAN 10.000 CIVILIANS. 1/2 LANDMINES' VICTIMS ARE CHILDREN... ANOTHER TRAGIC REALITY OF MODERN CHECHNYA IS NEW BREED OF TEENAGE BOMB MAKERS, WHO KILL FOR A LIVING.

THREE MONTHS AFTER 300 CHILDREN WERE MURDERED BY CHECHEN TERRORISTS IN BESLAN, THE RUSSIAN TOWN IS TORN BY GRIEF - AND A HUNGER FOR REVENGE.

AGE 9 TO 16 MORE THAN 300 KIDS IN RUSSIAN ZHUKOVSKOYE SETTLEMENT HAVE BECOME MEMBERS OF FULL-FLEDGE BOOT-CAMP, WHERE THEY'RE BEING TRAINED FOR WAR. THEIR COMMANDER - EX RUSSIAN SPECIAL FORCES CAPTAIN SAYS: "IF RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT KEEPS SENDING SCHOOLBOYS TO THE WAR ZONES, THERE MUST BE A PLACE, WHERE THESE KIDS WOULD BE TRAINED HOW TO SURVIVE AND KILL, BUT NOT TO BECOME CASUALTY IN THE FIRST COMBAT.

IN THE MASS PURGES OF 1920s AND 30s' COMMUNIST TERROR, MILLIONS OF PRIESTS WERE EITHER EXECUTED OR SENT TO GULAGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MONASTERIES AND CHURCHES WERE DESTROYED. AS A RESULT ENTIRE GENERATIONS OF ORDINARY RUSSIANS WERE BROUGHT UP ON COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA WITHOUT BEING EXPOSED TO RELIGION. A GROUP OF PRIESTS FROM VOLGOGRAD, FORMERLY STALINGRAD, HAVE BUILT TWO FLOATING CHURCHES ON BARGES WHICH THEY USE TO SPREAD THE WORD OF THE LORD ALONG THE VOLGA AND DON RIVERS EVERY YEAR BETWEEN MAY AND THE END OF SEPTEMBER. THIS UNPRECEDENTED ORTHODOX INITIATIVE WAS STARTED SO AS TO REACH THOSE REMOTED VILLAGES WHERE CHURCHES WERE RAZED TO THE GROUND BY THE SOVIETS OR WHERE THERE IS A LACK OF PRIESTS TO CARRY OUT SERVICES REGULARLY.

AFTER COLLAPSE OF THE USSR, SEVERODVINSK - USED TO BE  PEARL OF SOVIET DEFENSE INDUSTRY - A TOP SECRET SHIPYARD "ZVYOZDOCHKA", WHERE ATOMIC SUBS OF "DELTA" CLASS WERE BUILT, INCLUDING "KURSK", IS HAVING HARD TIMES NOW. OVER 70 OF IT'S AGEING SUBS SUBMERGE INTO COLD WATER OF WHITE SEA, RISKING TAKING IT'S REACTORS WITH THEM. ENTERPRIZE  SURVIVES ON AMERICAN SPONSORSHIP, DISMANTLING THESE SUBS. WORKERS, WHO BUILT THEM BEFORE, NAME THEMSELVES "SUBMARINE' KILLERS"...