Russia Starts Here: Welcome to Kamchatka

Located in Russia's Far East, the Kamchatka peninsula is home to an abundance of wildlife, including bears, reindeers and Stellar sea lions.



While the Pacific Ocean lies to the east, the Sea of Okhotsk lies to the southwest. The Kamchatka region is also home to dozens of volcanoes, which are recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.



The Moscow Times photo editor Inna Kiyasova traveled to Kamchatka to capture something of its beauty and wildness.

This statue of a mother bear and her cub reads "Russia starts here" and is situated on the road from Yelizovo to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the administrative center of the Kamchatka region.



Locals say the fish in the bear's mouth has been stolen many times, and so the authorities have placed cameras around the monument to ward off thieves.

A car passing by hills covered by smog in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

A monument to Bolshevik revolutionary Vladimir Lenin in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The locals call him Batman because his raincoat flutters "like Batman's."

Caviar is seen in at the Central Market in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Kamchatka is the capital of Russian caviar, and you can try many different types of the delicacy here.

Bear footprints are seen on the way to Khalaktyrsky beach on the Pacific Ocean.

Sled dogs stand on their kennels outside of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Stellar sea lions sunbathing on rocks in Avacha Bay, a Pacific Ocean bay in southern Kamchatka.

A group of three rocks called the Tri Brata (Three Brothers) in Avacha Bay.

A boat floats in Avacha Bay.

A view of the now-extinct Vilyuchinsk volcano. Many volcanic formations as well as the Zelyonoye and Topolevoye lakes are found at the base of the volcano.

The hills and volcanoes in Kamchatka were still covered by snow, even in May.

A view from the Petrovlovsk-Kamchatsky embankment.

Smoke from the Mutnovsky volcano, which is located in the southern part of the Kamchatka peninsula. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the region, and last erupted in 2000.

A husky dog walking on the Khalaktyrsky beach of the Pacific Ocean. The sand here is black, and comes from volcanic lava that has over time been worn down into a fine sand.

A reindeer in a pen outside Petrovlovsk-Kamchatsky.

Traditional Kamchadel clothes hang inside a yurt. Kamchadels, otherwise known as Itelmens, are an ethnic group who were the original inhabitants of the Kamchatka peninsula.