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.

A Ugandan soldier, part of the 9,000-strong African Union Mission in Somalia, (AMISOM) walks through the Banadir soccer stadium on August 15, 2011 in Mogadishu, Somalia. The stadium, Somalia's largest soccer facility, had been under control by Islamic extremist Shabab militants for the past two years until they withdrew from the capital more than a week ago. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Two ancient bronze coins, which according to Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists were struck by the Roman procurator of Judea, Valerius Gratus, in the year 17/18 CE and recently were revealed in excavations beneath the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City are exposed to the media' on November 23, 2011 in Israel. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)

This handout picture taken by Pleiades satellite and released on September 27, 2013 shows a small island of mud and rock created by the huge earthquake that hit southwest Pakistan has fascinated locals but experts – who found methane gas rising from it – say it is unlikely to last long. The 7.7-magnitude quake struck on September 25 in Baluchistan's remote Awaran district, killing at least 271 people and affecting hundreds of thousands. The island is about 60 to 70 feet (18 to 21 metres) high, up to 300 feet wide and up to 120 feet long and sits about 650 feet from the coast. (Photo by AFP Photo/CNES/Distribution Astrium Services)

Fighters battle in Manhattan's Union Square during a massive pillow fight on April 2, 2011 in New York City. Over 130 cities worldwide are participating in the fourth annual International Pillow Fight Day. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Pro-Russian activists attack policemen guarding the burned trade union building in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on May 3, 2014. More than 30 people were killed in a “criminal” blaze in Ukraine's southern city of Odessa, as violence spread across the country during the bloodiest day since Kiev's Western-backed government took power. Ukraine's interior ministry said at least 31 people had died in the fire Friday, with local media reporting that pro-Russian militants were believed to have been in the burning building at the time. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov/AFP Photo)