The Moscow Times' photographers, Igor Tabakov and Vladimir Filonov, fill their memory cards with images of people, places and events in Russia that never make their way onto the pages of the newspaper. Some shots don't match the day's news; many times, there simply is no space for them on the printed page.

Here at The Moscow Times photo blog "Russia, Exposed," the photographers will have free reign. The blog will showcase some of the work done by Igor and Vladimir while on assignment, as well as more offbeat images captured during their daily jaunts around Moscow. The first gallery is a set of portraits of major Russian political figures, mostly present but also a few past. (Click on one of the photos below to see the gallery.) Future series will include shots of Moscow institutions such as street dogs; those of city events, a few of which have already been featured in photo galleries on The Moscow Times web site; and whatever else the pair deems worthy of aiming their lenses at.

Russia and Moscow are rich in compelling images. Keep your eye on "Russia, Exposed" to catch a mix of the best captured by the staff of The Moscow Times.