In Russia’s Urals region, towns that once churned out industrial chemicals and coal are now largely abandoned. Verkhnyaya Gubakha was once a thriving city of more than 30,000, but the population has dwindled, and the landscape is returning to forested taiga.
Originally published at – https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-urals-taiga-abandoned-town-gubakha-environment-chemical-hazard/31046286.html

This post was originally published on Radio Free.