Have met a Yakutian horse in the village of Elges in Verkhoyansky region, North-East Yakutia, Siberia, Russia. This is female. 19 year old. Named simply Zorka (Dawn in Russian).

See more photographs of her in the post.

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Yesterday I took photographs of how truck drivers – Michael Zakharov and his four sons – were preparing for this year’s last long run on the winter road from Yakutsk to Srednekolymsk, Kolyma area of North-East Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.

A long ride, indeed, and very risky. Around 2500 km on one way through the Kolyma federal road (settlements of Khandyga and Ust Nera) and the Arctic winter road (Ust Nera – Sasyr – Zyryanka – Srednekolymsk).

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Enjoy Ajar Varlamov‘s photographs of spring. Yes, spring finally arrived in Yakutsk, Russia, and snow started melting fast.

The temperature in a daytime might be already zero! In the city, snow is already seen hardly.

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In the late March, I had a chance to watch fishing on the Yana River near Batagai settlement in the Verkhoyansky area of North Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.

In the above photo you can see the Yana River. Pretty complicated flow. This way all tundra rivers look. Yana is not exception.

Further, find 12 photos of how ice fishing is done and what type of fishes are caught over there. Read the rest of this entry…

To visit Kihilyakh, sacred stones in Verkhoyansk district in North-East Yakutia, was my long dream. I’ve never been to that area. And, finally, I made it.

Two weeks ago, I received a call. There was Yakutia’s Vice President Dmintry Glushko on the phone. Amazing. He asked, whether I wanted to go to Kihilyakh. “My god! Definitely,” I said. He continued, “There will be the ceremony of lighting of the Fire of the 5th Children of Asia International Sports Games.”

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When spring is coming to Yakutsk, right to the city called once as the coldest in the world, we, residents, have many options for outdoor activity.

We say “Spring has started,” when the temperature is already above minus 25 degrees Celsius. Like right now. While I am writing it, the current degree is minus 11.

Nice weather for snow-related funs. Let’s list them. Skiing, ice skating, snowboarding, snowmobiling, dog sledding, ice fishing, ice racing, and etc, etc, etc. Yes, definitely there is always space for shashliki (Russian BBQ). But… you know… it’s a standard set of must-do-outside things.

Last two years a new fun appeared, surpisingly, among real men, who turned out to be big boys in their souls. This is igloo construction.

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Mira Maximova is a talented Sakha composer, who currently lives in China. Many might know her as a YouTuber ExUmira2. On her channel there are a lot of songs written and performed by her. A few years ago China closed the access to YouTube and now she can’t upload her new songs.

Recently she sent me the song Osuokhay, Sakha Round Dance Beyond Time & Space and asked, if I can post it on the website. Sure, Mira. That’s what I am doing now. Moreover, I made a slideshow with my photographs.

Further find information on the song dedicated to the Sakha traditional round dance known as Osoukhay.

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Olga Monastyreva is a contemperary Yakutia-born artist, who lives currently with her beloved in Belguim. In the town of De Haan, they’ve got the fine art gallery “Artepol” (www.artepol.be). Btw, the gallery is depicted in her penultimate painting.

See how fascinating her paintings are. Inspired by Russia’s Siberian republic of Yakutia, her far-away cold wintery homeland. Olga spent her childhood in the town of Khandyga located on the Aldan River in the eastern part of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia.

Once Olga described her canvases as Dreams. They look that way, indeed!

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Russia elects its President today, March 04, 2011.

Today I managed to have visited three voting sites during the first half of the 2012 Russian President election. By the way, Yakutsk is electing its mayor as well.

See photographs of how people is choosing its leader in Yakutsk, Siberia / Russia.

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Russia’s Republic of Sakha-Yakutia is pretty proud of being the land, where mammoths could be found nearly every year.

Recently, the Yukagir community area in Yakutia’s Arctic zone has brought many valuable findings for the world of paleontology. Eight years ago, it was the intacted Yukagir mammoth head and foot. They were shown at 2005 World Expo in Japan. A few years ago, there was already an ancient horse remains found. Read the related post with photographs.

Last year was prominent with two events. In August, the well-preserved corpse of an ancient bison was discovered at the same place in permafrost. In Novermber, the wooly mammoth baby nicknamed Yuka was delivered on snowmobiles from the Yukagir area, Russia’s Arctic, to Yakutsk. A story is here.

And… today… thanks to the Academy of Science of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia… I had an unique chance to photograph how Russian and international scientists had been conducting examination on palentological findings – the Yuka wooly mammoth baby, ancient bison and horse – in Yakutsk, Russia, precisely at Institute of Geology of Diamonds and Precious Metals, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science.

Take a look at photos and learn more about the Yuka wooly mammoth baby and the event. Read the rest of this entry…