The photographs in this exhibition illustrate the widespread revival of religion; the unprecedented number of political and protest demonstrations; nostalgia for both the communist and tsarist pasts; the presence of aids; the continued celebration of military anniversaries; the effects of the wars in Chechnya; the aftermath of the financial pyramid scheme that ruined millions of Russians; and the rise of both business oligarchs and ultranationalist politicians. But the photographs also catch special, timeless moments in the life of Russia: ice fishing in winter; the spring breakup of the frozen Moscow River; young soldiers celebrating on leave; and the discovery of a long-forgotten graveyard during construction of a new downtown shopping plaza. Together, the images help tell the story of a nation undergoing radical transformation on many levels.

The digital prints of photographs in this exhibition have been selected from those published in Reflections: A Decade of Photographs, 1992-2002 (Moscow: the Moscow Times, 2002). They are part of a larger group of pictures that have been generously donated to the Library of Congress by the Moscow Times.