Russian naturism

Russian attitudes towards nudity and nudism have changed over time. [ref]Going NUDE in the USSR[/ref] Russian naturism is best understood as occurring in different stages of existence.

Pre-soviet

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. [ref]Romanovs100[/ref] https://twitter.com/marinamaral2/status/1321831699613888514 https://twitter.com/marinamaral2/status/1322106449133228034 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. [ref]Nudism in the days of the U.S.S.R.[/ref] 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. [ref]Nudism in the days of the U.S.S.R.[/ref]

Nudist beach in Koktebel OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Tiia Monto This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

In the sixties social and public nudity fell out of favor with the government. [ref]Soviets declare nudity a sign of “western decadence”[/ref]

Post Soviet era

Dunes beach the oldest nude beach  in St Petersburg another popular Russian  nude beach was previously threatened with closure then ultimately closed in May2015. [ref]St Petersburg's oldest nudist beach faces closure[/ref] Under the regime of Vladimir Putin a push to promote 'conservative values' brought a curtailing of options for naturists including closure of naturist areas like Serebryany Bor. [ref][/ref] Nudists in Despair as Moscow Authorities Move to Close Naturist Beach Naturists have also been targeted for promoting depraved behavior. [ref]Moscow nudists targeted in campaign against ‘depravity’[/ref] 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. [ref]Want to know one of Crimea's best-kept secrets? Nude beaches[/ref] The Orthodox Church in Russian Crimea are intolerant of naturism and social nudity. Orthodox clergy have [ref]Orthodox Priest in Crimea Asks for Nudist Beach[/ref]attempted to curtail the use of nude beaches. The city of Sochi with six nude beaches is a popular naturist destination. [ref]Russians bare it all: Why are nudists from across the country heading to Sochi?[/ref]

The photo shows a nudist beach in the Crimea, near Kerch. This place is called General beaches. Wernikto This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

The city of Sochi with six nude beaches is a popular naturist destination. [ref]Russians bare it all: Why are nudists from across the country heading to Sochi?[/ref]   https://clothesfreelife.com/naturist-wiki/russian-naturism/?_unique_id=63df35da5c478