Restricted Areas: Photographer Captures The Eerie Abandoned Remains of Soviet Technology

thevintagenews.com; via MC; see also.

What once were the symbols of Russia’s Cold War military might, now are abandoned, eerie ghosts in the snow.

These stunning images are part of the Restricted Areas,  the photo project by Russian photographer Danila Tkachenko, which shows lost remnants of the USSR‘s materiel and technology programmes.

This is how Tkachenko describes the project:

The project “Restricted Areas” is about utopian strive of humans for technological progress. Humans are always trying to own ever more than they have – this is the source of technical progress, which was the means to create various commodities, standards, as well as the tools of violence in order to keep the power over others. Any progress comes to its end earlier or later, it can happen due to different reasons – nuclear war, economic crisis or natural disaster. For me, it’s interesting to witness what is left after.

Tkachenko spent three months travelling Russia in the depths of winter in order to complete the photo series.

“I used a Mamiya 7, with a closed aperture and long exposure,” he told Wire.uk

Tkachenko won the World Press Photo award for his work and Restricted Areas will be published in November.

See the haunting images below and check out more of his work on his website.

Airplane – amphibia with vertical take-off VVA14. The USSR built only two of them in 1976, one of which has crashed during transportation. Danila Tkachenko ©

Former residential buildings in a deserted polar scientific town specialised on biological research. Danila Tkachenko ©

Tropospheric antenna in the north of Russia – the type of connection which has become obsolete. There were many of them built in far North, all of them deserted at the moment.Danila Tkachenko ©

Former mining town which has been closed and made a bombing trial field. The building on the photo shows the cultural center, one of the objects for bombing. Danila Tkachenko ©

City where rocket engines were being produced in Soviet times. Was a closed city until 1992. Danila Tkachenko ©

Deserted observatory.

The world’s largest diesel submarine. Danila Tkachenko ©

Stages of the space rockets..Danila Tkachenko ©

Boiler house of a closed aerodrome. Danila Tkachenko ©

Headquarters of Communist Party. Danila Tkachenko ©

Antenna built for interplanetary connection. The Soviet Union was planning to build bases on other planets, and prepared facilities for connection which were never used and are deserted now Danila Tkachenko ©

source:wired