New East Digital Archive

The Russian North: six tales from the edge of the world

Cold and hostile, the Russian North looms large in the imagination as a brutal and unforgiving region. But from luminous polar nights to the haunting White Sea archipelago, it’s also a place of magic and wonder. Here are six tales from the edge of the world.

Journey to the White Sea: looking for light at the end of the world

Cold mountain: Alexander Gronsky's lens turns an industrial city into an unlikely Arctic Arcadia

Ice bloc: the brutalist beauty of the post-Soviet northern city

Islands in the stream: the strange charm that for centuries has been luring people to Solovki

Our town: Extreme cold. Pollution. So why do locals love the Arctic city of Norilsk?

Divided worlds: on either side of the Russia-Norway border, life could hardly be more different

Main Image Credit: Ville Lenkkeri