The End of the USSR

The Collection / Conflicts

The End of the USSR

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RUSSIA. Moscow. 1998. The church of St Basil is surrounded by commercial ads, by-products of emerging capitalism in Russia. | License

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SOVIET UNION. Moscow. 1990. The Soviet system still prevails in the USSR, but real power is slowly slipping away to the nationalists. A symbol of this new state can be seen in the streets of Moscow where two Azeris pose - with no due respect - with a cardboard replica of the President GORBACHEV. | License

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LITHUANIA. Vilnius. 1991. The body of a young Lithuanian man killed by Soviet troops is mourned by his family in a cathedral. | License

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RUSSIA. Moscow. October 6th, 1993. Inside the stormed White House (Parliament building) a soldier loyal to Pres Yeltsin stands guard over the captured weapons used by the rebels to defend their position in the building, which was later liberated by pro Yeltsin forces.

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RUSSIA. Moscow. October 4, 1993. Troops loyal to President Boris YELTSIN storm the Russian Parliament (White House) held by rebels. | License

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RUSSIA. Moscow. October 6th, 1993. The partially burnt out White House (Parliament building) which was stormed by troops loyal to President Yeltsin, as armoured units were preparing to pull out.

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RUSSIA. Moscow. 1998. Marching in front of Saint Basile Church ,young militants of the National Bolshevik Party mix the rituals of Nazism with those of Communism. Their leader, Edward LEMONOV, built his extremist nationalist party on the ruins of communism. | License

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RUSSIA. Moscow. 1998. Statues of Lenin and ex-PM Kossyguin, symbols of the ruin of communist USSR, are discarded in the parc of the Museum of Modern Art. | License

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        McDonald’s has replaced Lenin. In Moscow, the endless queues waiting to visit his mausoleum can now be seen outside hamburger outlets: the Russians are consuming not meat but dreams. They have moved from reluctant shamanism – ancestor worship – to triumphant capitalism. Perestroika, restructuring, has taken over from glasnost. Gorbachev, the powerful leader of the USSR, must endure the facetious disrespect of two Azeris who, for twenty roubles, have their photos taken in front of his cardboard replica. The Empire is clearly falling apart.

        Conflicts

        The collection