Misha Friedman is a documentary photographer with a background in humanitarian work. One of his ongoing projects is on patriotism – “what it means to be a Russian”. Recently the New York Times published his photo essay on the subject: black and white photo portraits of ordinary Russians, accompanied by their thoughts and opinions.
He writes: “I set out to explore the unique and often strange ways people in Russia think and feel about the motherland… I asked each person what made someone a Russian; whether they had done something patriotic; whether love of the motherland and love of the government were the same thing; and whether one could disagree with the government and still be a patriot.”
The result is a beautiful combination of photos and quotations. You can find it here:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/06/opinion/sunday/exposures-russian-patriots.html
The featured image is taken from the New York Times article