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.

Armed with only paper, graphite and coloured pencils – plus his vivid imagination – the artist creates remarkable drawings that leap from the page when photographed. The 32-year-old, from Alkmaar in Holland, began experimenting with anamorphic 3D drawing five years ago. Photo: Ramon Bruin’s 3D illustration of two twins drawing each other. (Photo by Ramon Bruin/Medavia)

Underwater photographer Alexander Semenovs has snapped some of the most stunning, fragile life forms anywhere on planet Earth. Shot in deep, dark conditions, the images continue to provide an insight into what lies beneath, with glowing creatures appearing a lot like aliens in the pitch-black water. Semenovs has shot the likes of bioluminescent jellyfish, aggressive-looking worms and many species that leave a lot to the imagination. The 30-year-old from Moscow does the majority of his work in the White Sea, near the Arctic Circle. Here: A Comb jelly – Beroe cucumis. (Photo by Alexander Semenovs/Caters News)

A work by Chinese artist ROBBBB is seen on a wall in the ruins of a building in Beijing September 27, 2015. The 25-year-old artist in Beijing prefers to display his work on the walls of abandoned buildings, rather than a gallery. His artwork is mostly derived from photos of people he sees in the Chinese capital, anyone ranging from elderly people to construction workers. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

A Galapagos Tortoise shell is used as a foot rest at Heathrow Airport's Animal Reception Centre on January 25, 2011 in London, England. Many animals pass through the centre's doors ranging from exotic animals such as snow leopards and elephants, snakes and crocodiles, to the more common such as cats and dogs. In 2010 alone the centre processed approximately 10,500 cats and dogs, 1,300 birds, 105,000 day old chicks, 246,000 reptiles, 230 horses and 29 million fish. Most animals are part of zoo transfer schemes, the pet trade, or are pets in transit. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

“An Oscar nominated documentary maker and war photographer who learnt his trade at Cardiff University has been killed while covering the conflict in Lybia. Tim Hetherington is understood to have died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in the Libyan city of Misrata. Earlier this year the 40-year-old was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category at the Academy Awards for the war documentary Restrepo which he co-directed”. – WalesOnline

Photo: Tim Hetherington arrives at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards – Nominated Docs! Reception on February 23, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)

ATTENTION PLEASE! This publication is NOT about cute animals! This is a compilation of photographs of DIFFERENT content! Some photos may SHOCK YOU.

Photo: An eleven-week-old lion cub growls as she plays with a stuffed toy at the San Francisco Zoo April 25, 2003 in San Francisco, California. The cub's mother, Kita, died two days after giving birth to her and her brother. Zookeepers have hand fed and cared for the two surviving cubs around the clock since their mother died. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A one-month-old wolf cub ululate as zookeeper Luo Yong plays guitar at the Chongqing Yongchuan Safari Park on March 27, 2008 in Chongqing, China. Luo has worked as a keeper in the wolf zone of the park after he graduated university. Luo has developed a special way to communicate with the wolves by trying to imitate the noises they make. He also teaches wolf cubs to ululate and some wolves will howl along when he plays guitar. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)