Naturism in Russia

Naturism in Russia is best understood as occurring in different stages of existence. Russian attitudes towards nudity and nudism have changed over time. ¹Going NUDE in the USSR

Naturism in Russian predates the Soviet Union. Skinny dipping was apparently a regular pastime of the royal family in Tsarist  Russia. Pictures of of Tsar Nicholas II  publicly bathing naked emerged recently. ²Romanovs100

That was an unexpected find and I swear I wasn't even doing such a specific search.

It's Tsar Nicholas II.

Swimming.

Naked.

At Tsarskoye Selo. pic.twitter.com/YLZf0Md6pL

— Marina Amaral (@marinamaral2) October 29, 2020

Morning pic.twitter.com/11Y1NzVbQ5

— Marina Amaral (@marinamaral2) October 30, 2020

A 17th century religious Russian sect the Doukhobors practiced a kind of spiritual naturism which but many were chased out of the country do to their refusal to obey civil authorities.

During the Soviet era Lenin seemed to be a proponent of naturism and all its benefits. Lenin reportedly took guests to lakes where they could enjoying those benefits. ³Nudism in the days of the U.S.S.R. The naturist movement declined to some degree under Stalin who considered it a form of hooliganism and added the practice to the criminal code. Nevertheless others like  Maximilian Voloshin  who became the founder of the first communities, clubs and beaches for nudists in Koktebel maintained  the naturist philosophy and shared the it’s benefits in Russia. ⁴Nudism in the days of the U.S.S.R.

Naturism was outlawed in the 1930s ⁵Dress Code: Take It Off. In the sixties simple social and public nudity fell out of favor with the government. ⁶Soviets declare nudity a sign of “western decadence” In the 1980s naturist re-emerged began to practice naturism more public ally.⁷Dress Code: Take It Off

Dunes beach the oldest nude beach  in St Petersburg another popular Russian  nude beach was previously threatened with closure then ultimately closed in May 2015. ⁸St Petersburg’s oldest nudist beach faces closure Under the regime of Vladimir Putin a push to promote ‘conservative values’ brought a curtailing of options for naturists. This includes  closure of naturist areas like Serebryany Bor in Moscow which was used by naturists for over 30 years. ⁹ Nudists in Despair as Moscow Authorities Move to Close Naturist Beach

Naturists have also been targeted for promoting depraved behavior. ¹⁰Moscow nudists targeted in campaign against ‘depravity’

Another popular naturist destination was Crimea which was a part of the Soviet Union, before being ceded to Ukraine and then annexed in 2014 by the Russian Federation. ¹¹Want to know one of Crimea’s best-kept secrets? Nude beaches The Orthodox Church in Russian Crimea are intolerant of naturism and social nudity. Orthodox clergy have ¹²Orthodox Priest in Crimea Asks for Nudist Beachattempted to curtail the use of nude beaches.

The city of Sochi with six nude beaches is a popular naturist destination. ¹³Russians bare it all: Why are nudists from across the country heading to Sochi?

The city of Sochi with six nude beaches¹⁴Which One To Choose A Nudist Beach? Sochi As A Tourist Center is a popular naturist destination. ¹⁵Russians bare it all: Why are nudists from across the country heading to Sochi?

 

References

• 1
  Going NUDE in the USSR
• 2
  Romanovs100
• 3
  Nudism in the days of the U.S.S.R.
• 4
  Nudism in the days of the U.S.S.R.
• 5
  Dress Code: Take It Off
• 6
  Soviets declare nudity a sign of “western decadence”
• 7
  Dress Code: Take It Off
• 8
  St Petersburg’s oldest nudist beach faces closure
• 9
• 10
  Moscow nudists targeted in campaign against ‘depravity’
• 11
  Want to know one of Crimea’s best-kept secrets? Nude beaches
• 12
  Orthodox Priest in Crimea Asks for Nudist Beach
• 13
  Russians bare it all: Why are nudists from across the country heading to Sochi?
• 14
  Which One To Choose A Nudist Beach? Sochi As A Tourist Center
• 15
  Russians bare it all: Why are nudists from across the country heading to Sochi?