Photography by Terence Abela

Abandoned former USSR sites - in pictures

A school gym. Mishka, the famous mascot of the Soviet Union carrying the Olympic flag, takes centre stage.

Prototype of a Tesla coil installed at the end of the 1970s in a research centre that was secret at the time.

The coil was used to test insulators for the protection of vehicles, aeroplanes and electronic equipment against lightning

122 hotel

A disused marine school in Riga

The school was due to be demolished shortly after the photographer’s visit

A grand country house in Ukraine

Built in the middle of the 19th century, the house pleasingly blends the neo-classical style with Russian baroque.

A grand country house dating from the 18th century, built by Italian architects. After the Bolshevik revolution, the house was brought into state ownership in 1918

Salyut Pioneer camp, reserved for children of Kiev radio factory employees