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Editorial record

Sources.
Status. Credits.

An ambitious idea needs a sound foundation. This page lists the public sources behind the website and explains how its visual materials are used.

01 / How to read this site

Four clear statuses, not green noise.

Verified
Supported by a public primary source or a reliable specialist source.
Stated
A statement by the founder, attributed to a linked interview.
Planned
A direction for future work, not an outcome already achieved.
Under review
Not presented as fact until a method or document is available.

02 / Facts and context

Public source register

  1. 01
    Persona Strany

    Interview about the idea behind 9 Lakes

    Open
  2. 02
    Russian Winter Swimming Federation

    Zaur Zakrailov’s role in the Federation

    Open
  3. 03
    Russian Winter Swimming Federation

    Environmental swims

    Open
  4. 04
    UNEP

    Why lakes need protection

    Open
  5. 05
    UNESCO

    World Water Development Report 2025

    Open
  6. 06
    UNESCO World Heritage Centre

    Lake Baikal

    Open

03 / Images

Creators and terms of use

01

Lake Baikal panorama

Creator: Sergey Pesterev

Cropped and colour-adapted for the website.
File CC0 1.0
02

Lake Kezenoy-Am

Creator: SoloveiYegor

Cropped and colour-adapted for the website; the derivative is shared under the same terms.
File CC BY-SA 4.0
03

Peter the Great Gulf

Creator: Романвер

Cropped and colour-adapted for the website; the derivative is shared under the same terms.
File CC BY-SA 3.0
04

Khabarovsk from the Amur River

Creator: pauk

Cropped and colour-adapted for the website; the derivative is shared under the same terms.
File CC BY-SA 3.0
05

Swimmer with a safety buoy

Creator: Schwimmschule Steiner

Web-optimised, cropped and colour-adapted; the derivative is shared under the same terms.
File CC BY-SA 4.0
06

Lake Kerkini shoreline cleanup

Creator: Annatsach

Web-optimised, cropped and colour-adapted; the derivative is shared under the same terms.
File CC BY-SA 4.0
07

Group of open-water swimmers

Creator: Elekes Andor

Web-optimised, cropped and colour-adapted; the derivative is shared under the same terms.
File CC BY-SA 4.0
Founder’s archive

Real footage, not visualisations

The project team provided these materials for this website. They show the journey before 9 Lakes began and are not presented as photographs of future chapters. Photographer credits will be added as archival information becomes available.

  1. 01
    Open water and safety buoyphoto_2026-09-03 00.48.51.jpeg
  2. 02
    Observation at the water’s edgephoto_2026-09-03 00.49.00.jpeg
  3. 03
    Two swimmers in open waterIMG_5077.JPG
  4. 04
    Conversation at Baikalphoto_2026-09-03 00.48.43.jpeg
  5. 05
    After the distance_DSC6739_1.jpg
    Original
  6. 06
    Zaur Zakrailov in open water_DSC5644.jpg
    Original
  7. 07
    Support in the water_DSC6709.jpg
    Original
  8. 08
    Post-swim interviewIMG_6305.HEIC

About the hero image

The landscape with nine rings in the hero was created for the project’s visual concept using OpenAI ImageGen on 2 September 2026. It is a composite image, not a photograph of a particular lake or a completed expedition.

9 Lakes identity

The original transparent PNG was provided by the project owner. The website wordmark, standalone nine and favicon are cropped and web-optimised derivatives of that image. No production vector master has been supplied, and this page makes no claim about rights for uses outside the project.

04 / Updates

Found an inaccuracy or have a primary source?

Send us a link to the original document, official register, methodology or source material. This register will be updated as the initiative develops.

Contact the editorial team