Post-Soviet Occupation

Lana Sator

Paris may have its ghost stations (see "A New Station in Life," below), but Russia has the relics of the old Soviet Union, both above and below ground. These sites have attracted a new kind of photographer, the urban explorers, who take many risks, both physical and legal, to climb and document areas the less adventurous would never otherwise see. "What appeals to me the most," one such explorer, Sam Namos, explained, "is the ambience of lost places. The process of looking for them is breathtaking, too. If you're serious about it, there is so much you can learn about your own country, so many mysteries you can discover" (story, lots of great pix): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26018424