These handcarved and lacquered flutes are from Russia and are used to accompany, along with other instruments, some of the folk dances of the region Although the best known instrument of Russia is the balalaika, There are other typical used in the various regions.  These flutes come in various sizes. The short flutes are high in pitch and the longer the flute the lower the tones. It is not uncommon to have various sizes of these flutes in one folk group.  I bought these in Kiev, USSR, (Ukrainian) during a trip that took me to various parts of the USSR and a cruise of the Caspian Sea to Iran—my second trip there. December-January of 1966. The city of Kiev looked beautiful with newly fallen snow and a frozen Dnieper  River where people were enjoying fishing through ice holds. A memorable visit!