London photographer, Rebecca Litchfield, has a nearly obsessive love for abandoned buildings, especially those left in ruins. "Soviet Ghosts" is her series focused on the empty shells left by the USSR in Russia, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
The years between now and 1989 (when the Soviet Union started its disintergration) are the same as between 1989 and 1964. Twenty-five years.
English photographer Rebecca Litchfield spent over twenty of those 25 years sneaking around Russia snapping pictures, sometimes at the peril of her safety and freedom.
Litchfield:
“Not many explorers travel to Russia, where the rules are very different, locations are heavily guarded and a strong military presence exists everywhere. There are serious consequences for getting caught. We managed to stay hidden for all of the trip, we maximised our stealthiness, ducking and diving into bushes and sneaking past sleeping security. But on day three our good fortune ran out as we visited a top secret radar installation. After walking through the forest, mosquitos attacking us from all directions, we saw the radar and made our way towards it, but just metres away suddenly we were joined by military and they weren’t happy…”
The whole project is presented in her new book, Soviet Ghosts.
Photos of Astana, which was unveiled as Kazakhstan's new capital in 1998.
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