A performer takes part in a night parade to celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong Friday, February 16, 2018. The Lunar New Year this year marks the Year of the Dog in the Chinese calendar. (Photo by Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

Covered body is seen at the site of missile strike downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, October 10, 2022. Ukrainian officials report that at least eight people were killed and 24 wounded in the Ukrainian capital. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

Drummers perform during rehearsals at the Bird's Nest National Stadium ahead of the IAAF Athletics World Championships in Beijing on August 20, 2015. The Athletics World Championships will be held at the stadium from August 22 to 30. (Photo by Greg Baker/AFP Photo)

A illegal gold miner of Kamoro people, Tinus, pan for gold on February 4, 2017 in Timika, Papua Province, Indonesia. Indonesia produces over 70 billion dollars in gold a year and is home to the largest gold mine and the third largest copper mine in the world, the Grasberg mine, which is located at West Papua. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

In this August 31, 2017, photo, mock fish are displayed to offer to the ancestors during the “Hungry Ghost Festival” in Hong Kong. Countless hungry and restless ghosts are roaming Hong Kong, and the world, to visit their living ancestors, at least according to Chinese convention. In traditional Chinese belief, the seventh month of the lunar year is reserved for the Hungry Ghost festival, or Yu Lan, a raucous celebration marked by feasts and music. (Photo by Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

World War II veterans danced during Victory Day celebrations in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, May 9, 2013. Belarus and other former Soviet countries celebrated the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany on Thursday. (Photo by Viktor Drachev/AFP Photo)

Children surround a man, left, that fell down while walking on a street suspected of having contracted the Ebola virus in the city of Monrovia, Liberia, Tuesday, August 19, 2014. The World Health Organization says the outbreak has killed more than 1,200 people, while authorities struggle to contain its spread and treat the sick. (Photo by Abbas Dulleh/AP Photo)

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.