This Is What Russia Really Looks Like: 30 Honest And Bizarre Photos By Aleksandr Petrosyan

Winston Churchill once said that "Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." Experiencing Russia is like experiencing magical realism—to the observer, everything seems as real as real can be, and at the same time, something's a bit odd, out of place, or straight up bizarre. Russia holds so many contrasting, vivid lives in it that it's no wonder why actually seeing them is so mesmerizing. And as one famous Russian vodka commercial says, "Russia can't be understood with the mind."

Aleksandr Petrosyan, the invisible hero of today's story, is the chronicler of these colorful people. He lives in Sankt Peterburg (Peter, as the locals call it), Russia's second-biggest city, and has accumulated quite an impressive archive of the city's unique people and situations. The photographer likes to capture as many different people as possible in a single frame, creating something that could somewhat represent the diverse Russian experience.