of the planet’s surface liquid freshwater is held in lakes
Source: UNEP
International initiative · in development
Nine lakes.One shared source.
An expedition project about water, people and the work that remains after the journey.
Become a partnerExplore the initiativeDon’t watch the water from afar. Step into its story.
People, place and a specific local action form the three perspectives of every future chapter.
Real moments from the founder’s journey, not a record of future chapters.
Documentary standard
Every completed chapter will be documented by its own team and published with verifiable context: who took part, where, why and what changed after the expedition.
Lakes appear eternal. That is an illusion.
Climate change, pollution, infrastructure pressure and unsustainable land use converge in water - the resource on which people, ecosystems and entire economies depend.
people depend on water originating in mountain regions
Source: UNESCO, 2025of the world’s unfrozen freshwater is held in Lake Baikal
Source: UNESCONot to conquer.
To study and protect.
To study and protect.
Water connects people beyond borders.
9 Lakes plans to make each expedition a chapter of its own: field research, a safe open-water swim, locally relevant environmental work, a documentary story and a team that remains connected to the lake.
The ambition is international. The work is always specific: one place, one challenge, a measurable result.
Not a tour. Not a race. Not a one-day campaign.
A long-term expedition initiative where the lake is the protagonist, not the backdrop.
Explore partnerships“Water is the generator of life.”
Zaur Zakrailov, interview with Persona Strany, 2026
A map that cannot be invented in advance.
Nine is the shape of the ambition. The list of lakes will become public only when each chapter has a place, a purpose and a responsible team.
Chapter01Route in development
Route in development
We will not draw the route before agreements are in place.
A location will be added only after field assessment, dialogue with local communities, definition of a relevant environmental task and safety review. Partners can join while there is still room to make a chapter meaningful.
placechallengepeoplelegacy
From the first question to a team that stays.
The swim is the visible peak. Most of the work begins before it and continues long after the film is released.
Listen to the place
Study the watershed, the lake’s history and what local people actually need. We do not arrive with a ready-made campaign; we begin with a conversation.
A context map and criteria for useful workBuild the team
Bring together local authorities, ecologists, rescue specialists, researchers, residents and partners for the chapter.
Defined roles, permissions and a shared protocolDesign the expedition
Route, weather, medical care, insurance, biosecurity and evacuation planning belong in the project before anyone enters the water.
A safety and access planEnter the water
The swim gives the story a human scale. It is not a record for its own sake but a way to focus attention on a particular place.
An expedition event without the rhetoric of conquestLeave meaningful work
The lake determines the format: waste removal, shoreline restoration, education or data collection under an agreed methodology.
A locally relevant, measurable outcomeMake it visible
A documentary team turns observations, people and fieldwork into film, photography and partner materials.
Content with clearly defined usage rightsPass it on
Publish the methods and results, help form a local organising group, and return to the indicators after the expedition.
A living chapter, not a one-off eventA larger idea grew from real water.
FounderZaur Zakrailov
Board member of the Russian Winter Swimming Federation. Participant in environmental swims at Kezenoy-Am, Lake Baikal, the Amur River and Peter the Great Gulf.
View the sourceDocumentary archive
These are real moments from the journey that led to 9 Lakes, not visualisations of chapters yet to take place.
Where the journey began
Zaur Zakrailov’s first marathon swim on a high-altitude lake covered approximately four kilometres.
Source
For a clean Baikal
The team swam from Listvyanka to Vydrino. The Russian Winter Swimming Federation reports 55 km over 23.5 hours.
Source
Environmental relay
A 75-kilometre team route to Khabarovsk kept the conversation about clean water moving through a shared effort.
Source
160 kilometres together
The relay around the islands of the Empress Eugénie Archipelago showed the scale a team can achieve together.
SourceImportant
This is the founder’s documented journey before the initiative began, not a report on completed 9 Lakes chapters.
Not a logo in nature. A role in the place’s story.
A meaningful partnership starts with the question ‘what will remain at the lake?’ It then addresses reputation, content and team engagement.
A chapter rooted in a real place
Partners join the story of a specific lake, its people and its challenge, not an abstract campaign.
Fieldwork with a documented outcome
Goals, measurement methods and supporting evidence are defined before work starts, together with relevant specialists.
A documentary body of work
Photography, film and editorial formats are created for lasting use; usage rights are defined by agreement.
A way to involve your team
Employees may take part in volunteering and education programmes, subject to clear participation and safety rules.
Current readiness
Partners can see where the project stands, not just what it promises.
Explore the source register- Current stage
- Partnership framework being developed
- First prospective location
- Kezenoy-Am is being considered, but is not yet approved
- Next milestone
- Field assessment of the local task, safety and chapter team
- Before agreements
- The legal operator, registration details and methodology will be published before any commitments are accepted
There is more than one way to take part
Four partnership roles
01Chapter partner+
Co-author one expedition story
Help shape the chapter’s direction, field programme, documentary narrative and public final report.
02Science and data+
Methods, not declarations
Help define what to observe, how data will be collected, and how laboratory or expert verification will work.
03Technology and safety+
Connectivity, navigation and field systems
Strengthen the expedition with solutions that work beyond familiar infrastructure and help reduce risk.
04Media and culture+
Give the place a voice
Help the lake’s story outlast one expedition through film, journalism, exhibitions and education.
The ambition is broad. The claims are precise.
The initiative is in development. We therefore separate what is documented from what is planned and never present an intention as an outcome.
Sources and creditsVerified
The founder’s journey
Zaur Zakrailov’s earlier swims and roles are supported by public sources and documented in the timeline.
In development
The nine-lake route
Locations, countries and a calendar will not be presented as confirmed before field assessment and agreements.
Partner sought
Scientific protocol
An independent specialist partner is needed to develop observation methods, data storage and verification of results.
To be published
Indicators for each chapter
Objectives, counting methods, actual results and limitations will be set out in a separate report.
We cannot promise to save a lake in one expedition.
We can make its challenge visible, bring together the right expertise, carry out local work and publish an honest account. A movement can grow from chapters like these.
Partnership enquiries
The map is still open.
Tell us what expertise, territory or resources you could bring to the initiative. The first conversation is about the lake’s challenge and your role, not a logo on a flag.
Partnership emailpartners@9-lakes.ru