When I say 'discouraged', it wasn't from any workers or Russian people - it was from my host.
FWIW, this was 2011, and... my host just wasn't all that sure. He defaulted to "permission" vs "forgiveness" mode in a foreign country, which was probably wise.
This was changed, thakfully. Now we even have stickers on the floor which suggest where you should stand to take best picture.