Swimmer by River Neva, Leningrad, 1982In February 1982, photographer Denis Thorpe flew to Leningrad, as it was then, with a friend a brief stopover before catching a connecting flight to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Walking along the River Neva, near the island that houses the historic Peter and Paul Fortress, the pair spotted this brave soul preparing to take the plunge at the site of a river swimming pool. For me, she symbolises the strength of the Russian people, says Thorpe. Swimming in icy