Medieval fighting a big 'hit' in Russia

Participants from different parts of Russia competed in various disciplines of historical medieval fighting in Saint Petersburg last week.

Battles varied in the number of people involved - from one-on-one to 15-on-15, with teams of men and women fighters.

Different categories depended on whether a sword, spear or axe was used.

In historical medieval battles, participants combine skills of hand-to-hand combat and use of 15th century weapons.

Historical battles are re-enacted with armour resembling the original armour and knights' armaments.

Participants in Saint Petersburg admitted that one has to be physically fit in order to take part.

"It's an extreme physical exercise, and a great challenge that requires carrying a lot of weight in the form of a set of armour of more than 20-kilograms. It's a mix of combat fighting, fencing and boxing with tactical sports. It really is quite difficult," said the main referee Sergey Ivanenko.

The tradition of medieval fighting has largely come from Russia where history lovers first started organising full contact battle, often on historical sites.

The first Battle of Nations world championship took place at the Khotyn Fortress in Ukraine in 2010, with participants from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Poland.

Russia was the country that pocketed the most medals in 2010, and remains the most decorated team today.