In the unrecognized country of Trans-Dniester, which broke away from Moldova in the early 1990s, Lenin and his compatriots are still in high regard. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

A father and son pray in secret in their backyard. Three of the sons are in jail for their religious affiliations. In the valley, organized religion has been forced underground due to government repression of Islam. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

Heroin addicts in Osh, a major stop on the trafficking route from Afghanistan to Russia and Europe. Here a dose of the drug costs less than a beer. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

Heroin addicts in Osh, a major stop on the trafficking route from Afghanistan to Russia and Europe. Here a dose of the drug costs less than a beer. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

The marketplace. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

A woman sews clothes in her living room in the Jewish Autonomous Region of Birobidzhan, created some 20 years before the state of Israel. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

The Jewish Autonomous Region was the first Jewish homeland of modern time. Created some 20 years before Israel, it was typical of Stalinist population movement schemes. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

A priest pronounces his blessing before a christening in the unrecognized country of Trans-Dniester, a breakaway province of Moldavia. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

A Muslim household. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

A steel mill. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

Dead cows lie on a cliff near Baikonur, at the border with Kazakhstan. Locals complain of animals dropping dead because of rocket-fuel poisoned soil, and of high cancer rates. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

Farmers collect usable scrap from the remains of a Soyuz spacecraft in the Kazakhstan-Russian borderlands. Rocket booster stages come crashing down in the area from Baikonur, Russia's main spaceport, nearby. The fall of the Soviet Union officially gave rise to 15 new countries, but political and ethnic disparities as well as arbitrary border delineation have lead to a group of unrecognized states. Some of these ghost republics have physical borders, others are the products of separatist dreams - but they remain cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of the certainties of the old Soviet order.

Sports - 3rd prize