Flames from the Erskine Fire engulf a trailer near Weldon, California, U.S. June 24, 2016. (Photo by Noah Berger/Reuters)

O Santa Claus of Australia competes in the mens 80–84 years 100 metres heats during day two of the 2009 Sydney World Masters Games at Sydney Olympic Park on October 11, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

A muddied family photograph sits on a hallway stairwell in an apartment block on March 17, 2011 in Kensennuma, Japan. Residents were allowed back to their homes today and began the massive cleanup operation caused by a 9.0 magnitude strong earthquake that struck on March 11 off the coast of north-eastern Japan. The quake triggered a tsunami wave of up to 10 metres which engulfed large parts of north-eastern Japan. The death toll has risen past 5000 with at least 8600 people still missing. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

A reveller covered in tomato pulp participates in the annual “Tomatina” festival in the eastern town of Bunol, on August 28, 2019. The iconic fiesta, which is billed at “the world's biggest food fight” has become a major draw for foreigners, in particular from Britain, Japan and the United States. (Photo by Jaime Reina/AFP Photo)

A cat wering glasses lies in a pet dryer at the “Pet Expo Championship” in Bangkok, Thailand on August 30, 2019. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP Photo)

Jaheel Hyde, of Jamaica, competes in a men's 400-meter hurdles heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, August 5, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (Photo by David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

Smoke billows from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, June 9, 2014. (Photo by Athar Hussain/Reuters)

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.