Robert Lewandowski of Poland in action against Cristian Romero (R) of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group C match between Poland and Argentina at Stadium 974 on November 30, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

Japanese football fan during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Japan and Costa Rica at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 27, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Dylan Martinez/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.

Girls in swimsuits participate in the Grelka Fest at the ski resort Sheregesh in Tashtagolsky District of Kemerovo Oblast, Russia on April 15, 2018. Skiers and snowboarders from around the world marked the end of the 2017-18 winter season. Wearing bikinis and bathing shorts a total of 1,525 claimed a new Russian record for the daring downhill escapade – in a temperature of around 5ºC. In fact, more have taken part in this GrelkaFest event in the past, but not during an official record attempt. (Photo by Kemerovo Online/The Siberian Times)

“Philippe Halsman (2 May 1906 Riga, Russian Empire – 25 June 1979 New York City) was a Latvian-born American portrait photographer. Many celebrities photographed by Halsman include Alfred Hitchcock, Judy Garland, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Dorothy Dandridge, and Pablo Picasso. Many of those photographs appeared on the cover of Life. In such photos, he utilizes a variety of his rules of photography. For example, in one of his photos of Winston Churchill, the omission of his face makes Halsman's photo even more powerful at making Churchill more human”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Marilyn Monroe, “Jumpology”, 1959. Photo by Philippe Halsman

BAZ-69092-012 special wheeled chassis. Exhibition of military vehicles at Bronnitsy test range (a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located 54.5 kilometers (33.9 mi) southeast of central Moscow). Juny 10, 2011. (Photo by Vitaly Kuzmin)

A three wheeled “cabin” scooter manufactured by German aircraft engineers Messerschmitt & Co at factories in Regensburg. (Photo by Hans Enzwieser/BIPs/Getty Images). 1955

Tsar Alexander II (1818–1881) known as “The Liberator” lying in state. He was mortally wounded by an assassination attack in St Petersburg. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images). March 1881