ΜΕΕΤ ΤΗΕ S.I.C. NATURISTS

The naturist movement in the former USSR was born not long ago although its origins were noticeable at the beginning of the 20th century.

M. Voloshin, who had dedicated his articles to the first German naturist circle, was the founder of the nudist beach at Koktebel in the Crimea still in existence. Future leaders of the October coup attended the famous Swiss nudist settlement of “Monte Verita” in Ascona, Switzerland, and members of the Russian Tsarist Family were the members of aristocratic nudist circles.

After the October coup there were in Moscow and Sankt Petersburg nudists who regarded their nudity as a part of their proletarian way of life, and a Soviet delegation took part in the Nudity and Education Congress, which was founded by Adolf Koch in Berlin in 1929.

But in the 1930s nudists were repressed for their cosmopolitan character. Having become unpopular the movement ceased to exist.

Several generations of Soviet people, raised in puritanism and brainwashed by propaganda, did not hear about naturism and considered nudity a threat to morality of society and cultural values. Few Soviet citizens had an opportunity to visit nudist beaches in the German Democratic Republic and “wild beaches” in the Crimea and the Baltic republics, which spontaneously sprang up far from crowded places.

From time to time the police broke up these beaches and fined their visitors for violating social order.

The first naturist association in the USSR, the Estonian Nudist Society, was formed at the end of '70s. It struggled for its official recognition and was finally registered in 1989.

The Latvian Nudist Society was formed in the early 1980s. It had an official allotment of the beach in Inchupe, not far from Riga. Many inhabitants of Moscow and Sankt Petersburg chose to come to the Baltic coast in summertime to get some rest at nudist beaches.

The first positive articles in Estonian and Latvian newspapers and interviews of local naturist leaders appeared at the end of 1980s. At the same time also spontaneous beaches in Moscow and Leningrad (Sankt Petersburg since 1991) appeared; later on, the first articles in Soviet newspapers.

In 1991 several naturist societies in Sankt Petersburg, Astrakhan, Sarapul, and Yaroslavl were founded.

On the 30th of June of that year 60 nudists met at Serebrjany Bor to found Moscow Naturist Society (MNS). It took them two years to persuade Moscow authorities to recognize the society officially. In the past Moscow police dispersed and arrested nudists. Now that attitude has changed to a friendly one. In 1994, the Moscow local authorities gave the beach in Serebrjany Bor to MNS for use.

Shortly afterwards, Moscow became Russia's naturist centre. That was possible thanks to successful use of winter period. Moscow naturists rented Russian baths and sport complex with pool and sauna. That allowed them to practice naturism all round the year.

The suitable location of Serebrjany Bor —at the territory of the city and the availability of public transport— all this made possible to use every sunny day and to have a beach session from the end of April to September.

Thanks to newspapers and TV (especially to TV programmes “Theme” and “Reporter”) the beach very quickly became well-known and during the last four years the number of weekenders reached 2,000). There are two volleyball pitches and volleyball is the most popular game among naturists.

Gradually the beach was separated in several parts. Visitors on the centre are members of NNS Beach Club —as a rule, families and couples. At the edge- at “free territory” there are curious persons mostly men. There is a noticeable difference in these parts. The beach is situated in the popular recreation zone in the sandy area of pine forest on the Moscow River. The average temperature of water in summer is approximately 18-22°C.

Besides Moscow, there are naturist beaches near Sankt Petersburg on the Finnish Bay by Sestroresk, Yaroslavl by a lake, Astrakhan on the Volga river, Voronezh and some other cities. They have been unofficial and are located far from crowded places. An exception is the location of Kiev beach —opposite Youth Beach in Hydropark almost in the heart of Kiev and in Koktabel in the Crimea. That's why Kiev naturists had problems with the police. Koktabel beach is situated near a famous health resort and it has become very popular among inhabitants of Moscow, Sankt Petersburg and other northern cities who traditionally spend their holidays in those warm places. Generally speaking, the Crimea and Krasnodar coast of the Black Sea (Russian territory) have been the most favourable places for nudist rest, especially after the independence of the Baltic countries in 1991. The Black Sea resembles the Mediterranean one: scenic mountains, stony ground and sandy beaches. The climate, hot and dry, appeals to naturists from the heart of Russia, where the majority lives.

Thanks to efforts of several clubs of Russian Naturist Free Association in 1994, a naturist camping was founded in Lysia Bukhta.

Attempts to bring together naturists from different parts of Russia have failed since 1992. Several times leaders of clubs and groups have met in Moscow and Sankt Petersburg, but those meetings were not successful.

Big distances, insufficient postal services and lack of money made contacts among the clubs extremely difficult. Only in 1993 some Russian clubs from Moscow, Yaroslavl, Tula, Voronezh and Rybinsk have joined the Russian Naturist Free Association (RNFA), followed by Ukrainian (Kharkov and Kiev), Whiterussian and Kazakh naturists. As a result, RNFA has become a representative of SIC naturist movement.

Besides RNFA there have been several other associations in Russia, but they have had a small number of members and in the summer 1994 they ceased to exist because of internal problems.

Non-organized nudism in SIC becomes more and more popular; the organized one develops with difficulties. Besides Moscow, where MNS is supported by the most popular newspapers, has good relations with local authorities and the people are very loyal to naturists; the population of other Russian cities is more conservative and has not enough information on real essence of naturism. So the average membership does not exceed 30-40 persons, with the exception of MNS with approximately 600 members.

Sometimes new groups that call themselves “nudists” show up, but in reality they have no connection with naturism. One of such “sex clubs” under the name “Moscow nudists” was shown on the German TV in the beginning of 1994.

Acquaintance of citizens of SIC with real naturism in Western Europe could help them change the situation, but such kind of recreation is not available for former Soviet people due to lack of money (average salary is approximately $100 a month) and difficulties in getting visa to foreign countries.

Regrettably, many Western naturists fear to come for their rest in the former USSR in spite of great opportunities for cheap nude rest. So, this problem will be solved together by RNFA and the International Naturist Federation. British naturists have already visited Moscow and Yaroslavl, and Moscow naturists returned visits to England, France and Germany. In the summer of 1994 a small group of naturists visited many countries in European countries and met local naturists.

In July 1994, Leif Heilberg, President of the International Naturist Esperanto Organization, invited by RNFA leaders, visited Moscow and Yaroslavl.

Step by step, Russian naturists join the international naturist brotherhood, which helps them solve internal problems. Russia is mysterious for the West. Acquaintance with Russian naturism could be very interesting for everybody.

Russian naturists are young and inexperienced but they are full of energy and desire to associate and, hope, that desire will be mutual.

                    Igor Nezovibatko & Yuri Vatskovsky