To an outsider, their passion is at times illegal and often on the verge of life and death. But climbing rooftops of high-rise buildings and exploring abandoned facilities is in the blood of these young Muscovites. The small group calls itself “Rudex”, which stands for “roof and decay exploration”, and is akin a Western youth craze known as urbex or “urban exploration” of man-made structures. Here: Urban explorer Vad Him of Rudex team jumps whilst on a rooftop in Moscow, Russia, August 14, 2017. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

The Swiss Air Force Patrouille Suisse aerobatic team performs during the men's downhill race at the Alpine Skiing FIS Ski World Cup in Wengen, Switzerland, Saturday, January 19, 2019. (Photo by Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP Photo)

Demonstrators kiss in front of police, during a protest on the day Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 23, 2025. (Photo by Umit Bektas/Reuters)

A model takes a picture of photographers outside the Anna Sui show at the Strand Rare Book Room in New York on February 10, 2024. (Photo by Jeenah Moon for The Washington Post)

Cosplayers attend Comic-Con International in San Diego, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Reuters)

The Bolenberg chapel sits on a rise overlooking vineyards where leaves change colors to mark a change in the season in Orschwihr in the Alsace region of France, October 12, 2015. (Photo by Jacky Naegelen/Reuters)

Finding just the right spot above the clouds at Camp 1 on Ama Dablam, Danuru Sherpa uses his iPhone to catch up with friends and family. Even at 18,500 feet (5,654 meters), climbers here can check their email and other dispatches from the world below. (Photo by Aaron Huey/National Geographic)

Handlers control the giant puppet MOCCO during a special training session in Takamori, Nagano prefecture, Friday, April 23, 2021. Tokyo 2020 organizers created about 10 meter-tall puppet to symbolize the spirit of the people from the regions affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The puppet will travel from Tohoku to Tokyo in May to be in place for the games scheduled to open in July. (Photo by Koji Ueda/AP Photo)