The eerie beauty of Cold War infrastructure
A London-based photographer captures the former Soviet Union's decrepit, defunct nuclear testing sites


Thankfully, the Cold War didn't come to its feared conclusion of nuclear Armageddon. But the Soviet Union was certainly prepared for it, and the evidence lives on.
Photographer Nadav Kander was researching a project on Russian cities when Google Earth alerted him to the existence of two "closed" sites on the border of Kazakhstan and Russia. Kander, who subsequently embarked on a three-year survey, learned the sites were called Priozersk and Kurchatov. The once-restricted military zones did not even appear on maps until well after the Cold War's end. That's because Priozersk and Kurchatov had been testing sites for long-distance missiles and atomic bombs, respectively. The end of the world could well have begun right here.
But it's not all so dark! Kander's book, Dust (Hatje Cantz), features eerie yet beautiful images of these remnants of war, serving as reminders of what could have been, and thankfully wasn't. See a small selection of the work below:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
-
Will divisions over trans issue derail Keir Starmer's government?
Today's Big Question Rebellion is brewing following the Supreme Court's ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under equality law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why UK scientists are trying to dim the Sun
In The Spotlight The UK has funded controversial geoengineering techniques that could prove helpful in slowing climate change
By Abby Wilson
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK