In this November 30, 2017 photo, Douglas scoops up mud from the bottom of the polluted Guaire River, in search of gold and anything valuable he can sell, in Caracas, Venezuela. Some stretches of the river smell of sewer while others emit a toxic odor of fuel, a stench that stays in ones nose for hours after leaving the water. (Photo by Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

Ethnic Miao men wearing traditional masks smear dust on a woman's face to wish her good luck during local celebration event for Lunar New Year in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, February 16, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Pakistani passengers ride on crowded train returning from their hometown and villages after celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday to mark the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, to Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, July 11, 2016. (Photo by K.M.Chaudary/AP Photo)

2016 Rio Olympics, Gymnastics training, Rio Olympic Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 4, 2016. Close up of the feet of Rebecca Downie (GBR) of United Kingdom as she trains on the beam. (Photo by Dylan Martinez/Reuters)

Greetings, sickly monkeys! Planet Nibiru is near already. Confess, parasites! Love you! Yours truly, Avax

A truck carrying gold miners across the Sahara desert to far northern Niger drives outside Agadez, Niger, May 9, 2016. (Photo by Joe Penney/Reuters)

Rescuers carry an injured passenger on stretcher at Soshigaya Okura Station after stabbing on a commuter train, in Tokyo Friday night, August 6, 2021. A man with a knife attacked 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo on Friday and was arrested by police after fleeing, fire department officials and news reports said. (Photo by Kyodo News via AP Photo)

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)