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These amazing images reveal a kaleidoscope of colours in icy caves underneath a glacier.

The rainbow caves are given their various colours by light refracting through the ice - with the thicker the ice, the more emerald they appear.

And a photographer, from Kamchatka, in the Russian Far East, also decided to add his own take - by lighting flares and breathing fire to turn the normally blue hues into dark reds.

The caves are found near the Mutnovsky volcano, 45 miles (72km) south of the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

The caves, found near the Mutnovsky volcano, 45 miles (72km) south of the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, were captured by local guide and photographer Denis Budkov.

Mr Budkov, 35, trekked inside the dangerous caves - which could collapse at any moment - to capture the colourful scenes.

The amazing images reveal a kaleidoscope of colours in icy caves - lit up by flares and fire-breathing (Denis Budkov pictured)

'It was pretty cold and wet inside and the water was flowing down from the roof and walls,' he said.

'It was zero degrees inside, too, and the lens was getting damp - making it hard to shoot.

'But when I got deeper inside the caves, I was amazed by the colours I saw. I haven't seen anything like this before.

'The emerald colours of the ice were spectacular, and worth the risk of the roof caving in to capture the pictures.'

Mr Budkov, 35, trekked inside the dangerous caves - which could collapse at any moment - to capture the colourful scenes

The extensive caves, some parts of which have water in them, were first discovered by Mr Budkov by chance

The ice cave's unique formations are created by the heavy winter snow becoming compressed and forming ice.

Then as the short, summer months arrive, intensive melting of the ice creates ravines which flow and hollow out the caves and tunnels.

The incredible lights shining purple, blue, green and yellow are no computer trickery - they are the result of sunlight streaming through the glacial ice into the hidden world below.

The cave was carved out of the glacier by an underground river that is sourced in a hot spring gushing from the Mutnovsky volcano itself.

The ice cave's unique formations are created by the heavy winter snow becoming compressed and forming ice

As the short, summer months arrive, intensive melting of the ice creates ravines which flow and hollow out the caves and tunnels

The incredible lights are the result of sunlight streaming through the glacial ice into the hidden world below

The cave was carved out of the glacier by an underground river that is sourced in a hot spring gushing from the Mutnovsky volcano itself

Mr Budkov is pictured here setting off a flare to create light in the cave 

 Denis added: 'I spent a couple of days near the caves, but only ventured in towards the end of our trip.

'I was actually afraid the roof would collapse, and as it was a hill on the side of an active volcano, the area in general is quite volatile.

'But I was simply too curious to loose the opportunity to photograph the colourful caves.'

'It was pretty cold and wet inside and the water was flowing down from the roof and walls,' said Mr Budkov

'It was pretty cold and wet inside and the water was flowing down from the roof and walls'

It was zero degrees inside, too, and the lens was getting damp - making it hard to shoot. But when I got deeper inside the caves, I was amazed by the colours I saw. I haven't seen anything like this before'