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.

Fighters from Germany take up position before competing in the Medieval Combat World Championship at Malbork Castle, northern Poland, April 30, 2015. Medieval combat is a full contact sport that revives the foot based tournament fighting of medieval Europe. Countries fight in refereed matches where the objective is to get the opposing team to the floor. There are also duels with polearms, swords and shields where the number of hits landed are scored. The fighters, both male and female, wear heavy armours and weapons, mostly replicas of authentic pieces, and fight following the knights code of conduct. According to organizers, 25 nations from 6 continents are taking part in the Championships, which started on April 30 and will go on until May 3. (Photo by Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

Australian knight Philip Leitch (R) has a floral basket on his helmet smashed by an opponent at the St Ives Medieval Fair in Sydney, one of the largest of its kind in Australia, September 25, 2016. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

A participant falls on vintage skis during a traditional historical ski race in the northern Bohemian town of Smrzovka February 21, 2015. (Photo by David W. Cerny/Reuters)

Propaganda is a form of communication aimed towards influencing the attitude of the community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument. Propaganda statements may be partly false and partly true. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes. – Wiki

A World War II re-enactor dressed as Red Army soldiers rests after a staged battle to mark the liberation of the city of Ostrava by Red Army from the Nazi invaders in 1945, Czech Republic, Thursday, April 30, 2015. (Photo by Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

Participants wearing medieval costumes re-enact the 1620 battle of Bila Hora between Bohemian Estates and Austrian Imperial with Catholic forces in Prague, Czech Republic September 18, 2016. (Photo by David W. Cerny/Reuters)

The Prague astronomical clock, or Prague orloj, is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working.