Russia in 2020: The Year in Photos
For much of the world, 2020 was a historic, unprecedented year. This is especially true for Russia, which saw unprecedented environmental, social and political changes in addition to the pandemic.
The Moscow Times is taking a look back at the images that defined 2020 in Russia — from snapshots of everyday life to historic moments that will be remembered for years to come:
The Moscow Times is taking a look back at the images that defined 2020 in Russia — from snapshots of everyday life to historic moments that will be remembered for years to come:
A worker cleans the floor in a Russian Orthodox cathedral. This spring, the Russian Orthodox Church instated new sanitary measures in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Peter Kovalyov / TASS
As the pandemic grounded flights and closed borders around the world many travelers and migrant workers were stranded at Russian airports such as Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow.
Sergei Savostyanov / TASS
Long hospital shifts for doctors treating coronavirus patients can leave lasting impacts, both physical and emotional. Medics report overwhelmed hospital wards and brutally long shifts during the first wave of the pandemic.
Valery Sharifulin / TASS
A man has his hair cut at the Mafiozi barbershop in Murmansk after beauty and hair salons in the Murmansk region were allowed to reopen after lockdown.
Lev Fedoseyev / TASS
The Cathedral Mosque, Moscow's largest mosque, reopened with tape on the floor to mark safe distances for prayer.
Sergei Karpukhin / TASS
Students at Ryazan State Medical University observe social distancing as they attend their graduation ceremony.
Alexander Ryumin / TASS
Massive protests broke out in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk in support of the region's arrested governor, Sergei Furgal, on July 11. The protests have continued daily since.
Igor Volkov / AP / TASS
In June, President Vladimir Putin declares a state of emergency after a storage tank owned by the Nornickel mining giant spills over 30,000 metric tons of diesel fuel near the Arctic city of Norilsk. Russian authorities later call the spill the worst-ever disaster of its kind in the world's history.
Emergency Situations Ministry
Environmentalists sound the alarm after hundreds of dead marine animals wash up on the shores of the Kamchatka peninsula and local surfers report eyesight problems. Scientists later determine that about 95% of seabed marine life was killed off in the event, which has been linked to a toxic algae bloom exacerbated by climate change.
Anna Strelchenko / TASS
Violent wildfires sweep across large swathes of the Siberian taiga as the Arctic experiences one of its warmest years on record.
Greenpeace
Russia's main opposition leader Alexei Navalny falls suddenly ill on a flight in what European scientists say was a poisoning with the Soviet-designed Novichok nerve agent. Russia continues to deny that Navalny, who was evacuated to Germany two days after falling ill, was poisoned.
Markus Schreiber / AP / TASS
