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.

An illustration showing scarecrows pulling a firewood cart beside a road is on display at Kakashi no Sato, or the Scarecrow's Hometown on September 10, 2014 in Himeji, Japan. In this district of Yasutomi in Himeji city, over 100 of scarecrows stand in farmlands and abandoned houses to illustrate the good old Japanese countryside and attract visitors. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

Alex Plunkett, left, and Sean Hart, both of Arlington, Va., join hundreds participating in the annual International Pillow Fight Day on April 5. Massive pillow fights broke out on the Mall in Washington and in cities around the world. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

A scantily-clad brunette is pictured passed out on the pavement. Mayhem hits the streets of Newcastle, UK as clubbers out on the Toon have a little too much to drink as they enjoy the Bank Holiday on August 29, 2016. Photographs take last night show scantily-clad women passed out on the pavement, while boozed-up men were caught arguing with police. (Photo by XposurePhotos.com)

Indian students play with coloured powders as they celebrate “holi” or the “festival of colours” during a special function in Kolkata on March 12, 2017. Holi, the popular Hindu spring festival of colours, is observed in India at the end of the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month, and will be celebrated on March 13 this year. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)

Best portfolio winner. Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, by Petr Bambousek, Czech Republic. (Photo by Petr Bambousek/2018 Bird Photographer of the Year)

American television personality Dolores Catania in the first decade of February 2024 gets the “hot gossip” in a staged photo. (Photo by dolorescatania/Instagram)

English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa preps for her performance at the Brit Awards with a vocal warmup early March 2024. (Photo by Dua Lipa/Instagram)