Photo journal: Postcards from Russia

Aldan, Eastern Siberia

Alexander Ovchinikov,18, says a tearful farewell to his family as he leaves home for his two-year compulsory national service.

The Russian army has attracted a great deal of negative publicity in recent years as a result of the high incidence of suicide and bullying.

However, the military man has become the beloved hero of today's Russian television serial with a plethora of new films and soap operas about the Russian army and its successes.