Red Bull Air Race World Championship returns to Russia for a third time, and lands in the city with one of the most spectacular aerial backdrops ever, Kazan. Rain and cold weather couldn’t ruin the spectacular show, and made photographs of planes doing their insane stunts all the more challenging to get. It goes without saying that the pilot’s skills were also put to the test, with less than ideal weather conditions presenting additional challenge to an already demanding sport.

This time, besides shooting from a helicopter, I also took the opportunity to take some great photos from a boat and capture the action from a different perspective. The city itself looks absolutely amazing from the bird’s eye view. Both Kul Sharif Mosque and the Kazan Kremlin provide wonderful backdrops to the aircrafts racing above the River Kazanka. This time, I also took the opportunity to take some great photos from a boat and capture the action from a different perspective.

Kazan is the sixth-most-populous city in southwest Russia, on the banks of the Volga and Kazanka rivers. The capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, a semi-autonomous region, it’s known for the centuries-old Kazan Kremlin, a fortified citadel containing museums and sacred sites. Kremlin landmarks include the tiered Tower of Soyembika, the blue-and-gold domed Annunciation Cathedral and the vast, colorful Kul Sharif Mosque.

The opening of the biggest mosque in Europe, the Qolşärif Mosque, was held in Kazan on June 24, 2005. Roughly 17,000 people gathered for the celebration. Delegations from forty countries attended the event. The facility was reconstructed on the site where presumably Kazan Khanate’s principal mosque had been standing before 1552.

Kazan is known as the “Sports Capital of Russia” and has hosted such iconic events as the World Fencing Championship, the World Aquatics Championship and was a host city for 2018’s FIFA World Cup.