Ahead of the World Cup, football-loving Russians have been playing the beautiful game in all its eclectic glory.
Be it swamp footbal, big shoe football or motoball on motor-bikes, enthusiasts have been playing the sport's niche offshoots ahead of the World Cup in Russia from June 14.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Football players in giant inflatable balls spar in a game of bumper ball in a gym hall.
Outside the capital in the town of Vidnoye, a helmeted motorcyclist for the Metallurg motoball club watches as a ball rolls past a flailing goalkeeper.
In the northern Leningrad region, mud-caked footballers spurn conventional pitches altogether and take to playing in a swamp, while in the southern region of Chechnya, which was rebuilt after two devastating wars, men on crutches play amputee soccer.
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