Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old Iron Curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn’t resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union.

Russian Mi-28N from the Berkuty (Golden Eagles) helicopter display team fly in formation during the “Aviadarts” military aviation competition at the Dubrovichi range near Ryazan, Russia, August 2, 2015. The aircraft started dipping down due to back propeller failure and crashed, killing one of two pilots, according to a Reuters photographer and official representatives of the competition. The aviation contest is part of the International Army Games, which are held in Russia from the 1st till the 15th of August with participants from 17 countries, according to organizers. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Arnaq Egede walks to the potato field on her family's farm on July 31, 2013 in Qaqortoq, Greenland. The farm, the largest in Greenland, has seen an extended crop growing season due to climate change. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A reveller walks through the streets in the early hours during traditional May Day celebrations in Oxford, Britain, May 1, 2015. (Photo by Dylan Martinez/Reuters)

This Thursday, April 30, 2015 photo shows Lebanese citizens walking on the Corniche, or waterfront promenade in Beirut, Lebanon. This photo was shot through the lowered veil of a niqab, which is worn by some conservative Muslim women. The cloth allows women to follow a strict interpretation of their religious beliefs by preventing others from seeing their faces. (Photo by Hassan Ammar/AP Photo)

A handout photo made available by the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities shows the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with the OneWeb communication satellites launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, 07 February 2020. Thirty-four satellites from OneWeb were successfully put into orbit on a single Soyuz rocket from Baikonur. (Photo by Roscosmos/EPA/EFE)

Barbadian singer Rihanna continues to rock her nostalgic look with her edgy short pixie cute while out with friends at Delilah Nightclub in West Hollywood on June 7, 2021. Rihana made sure to turn heads as she put on a sultry display in a black silk lingerie dress with a matching robe. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

In this Tuesday January 21, 2014, file photo, slaughtered chickens are displayed for sale at a wholesale poultry market in Shanghai. The Chinese government on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, says a 41-year-old man has contracted what might be the w0orld’s first human case of the H10N3 strain of bird flu, but the risk of large-scale spread is low. (Photo by AP Photo/File)