Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar. The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. (Photo by Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media)

Russian pop art photographer Sergey Chilikov captures a nation liberated from the social oppression of late-era Soviet rule – at parties, in the streets, and bouncing high. His exhibition, Photoprovocations, will be at Photo London, 19-22 May. Here: Yoshkar-Ola, Matrosova Street (1995). (Photo by Sergey Chilikov)

Dancers from Cuba's National Ballet rehearse under the leadership of U.S. choreographer Jessica Lang as they prepare next month's International Ballet Festival in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, September 1, 2022. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

Police cars are seen overturned in the street in the framework of a demonstration against Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana, on July 11, 2021. Thousands of Cubans took part in rare protests Sunday against the communist government, marching through a town chanting “Down with the dictatorship” and “We want liberty”. (Photo by Yamil Lage/AFP Photo)

Cubans swim in a natural swimming pool off the coast of Havana on August 4, 2023. With the current hot summer, Havana residents have rushed to the dilapidated natural pools on the coast of their city, built by wealthy families in the first half of the last century. (Photo by Yamil Lage/AFP Photo)

A car passes through an area of the boardwalk hit by strong waves in Havana, Cuba, 05 February 2024. The Cuban Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) recorded strong gusts of wind of up to 104 kilometers per hour and strong waves in the west of the island due to a cold front associated with an “extratropical low”. (Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA)

A Cuban fisherman prepares to fish in a makeshift raft in Havana Bay on July 16, 2024. When the weather permits, artisanal fishermen take to the water in improvised polystyrene rafts to make up for the lack of means and fuel. (Photo by Yamil Lage/AFP Photo)