June 12th was Russian Independence Day. This meant that most of the Kremlin area was closed off to tourists in the days leading up to the 12th. Not such a big deal really... On the day itself, there was a huge (and diabolical) concert for the masses in Red Square, with dancing, leaping, singing and lots of orchestrated flag-waving. The Red Square/Kremlin area was completely closed off and under extremely tight security. All streets and bridges surrounding the Kremlin were closed off and heavily guarded. In fact, the streets leading up to the streetseven close to the Kremlin were also closed off. Everything was closed. Only a clearly selected crowd were let in to Red Square to enjoy the entertainment.
Entire armies were parading around in their fanciful uniforms, just as a show of presence. There were mass shakedowns in all metro stations, particularly those attached to Railway stations. It was hell. This was not a celebration of independence (independence from what exactly?!), this was a show of force. A reminder to the people of the Russian federation of just who is in control here. And after all that… nothing. The day after Independence Day, the streets were utterly deserted. No concerts, no militia, no people! A perfect time to take some night shots. Between midnight - 03am it goes dark in Moscow in June. Here are the results of me wandering around Moscow with a camera, a tripod and a bellyful of Schneider weisse.
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