Gallery: Fantastic Photos of Chechen Culture From a Young Phenom
Diana Markosian01Markosian
Dzhenet Achalimova, 25, stands beside her two children in their home in Kirov-Aul, Dagestan. Achalimova says her husband, Magomed Nasibov, 31, along with his cousin were abducted and killed by men in camouflage in Russia's volatile republic of Dagestan. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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Layusa Ibragimova, 15, has her hair and nails done before her wedding. Her marriage to 19-year-old Ibragim Isaev was finalized by her father just weeks before. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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A group of Chechen women standing at the opposite end of the men. In Chechnya, under strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, gender segregation is being enforced. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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Amina Mutieva, 21, a student at the Islamic University in Grozny prays in a prayer room for women. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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Students attend a safety course at the Theological University in Makhachkala, Dagestan. The republic of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea is considered the most explosive place in Russia - and in Europe. The rector of the university was killed in June 2010. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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Chechen artists backstage before their performance. All women in Chechnya must wear headscarves in public schools and state buildings. Celebrities were among the first to conform, making the head cover a fashion statement. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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Party guests cheer as a couple dances Lezginka, a traditional dance performed in the North Caucasus. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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A Chechen teen, who considers herself emo, puts on pink lip gloss in her room. Chechen youth who are influenced by the Western emo subculture have become targets of violence by authorities. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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A group of Chechen dancers wearing traditional costume wait backstage before their performance in the capital of war-torn Grozny. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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A woman prays at a local mosque in downtown Grozny. From the series 'Goodbye, My Chechnya'
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A light beam shines on an Afghan woman as she bakes bread in the border town of Ishkashim, Afghanistan. More than 12,000 people live in the 220-mile corridor, a series of broad valleys and high-altitude plateaus carved by the Panj River.
Diana Markosian/Redux12Markosian
Lida Masanovitz, 74, stands beside her husband, MIkhail Masanovitz, 73, as she speaks on the phone. The couple have lived in the nuclear village of Redkovka their entire life. From the series 'Chernobyl's Last Breath'
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On April 26, 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl nuclear power facility exploded. Many cities were immediately evacuated, however residents of Redkovka, a village just 35km from the reactor, refused to leave. Lida and Mikhail Masanovitz, both in their 70s, live in the desolate village. The couple, who met over 50 years ago in the village were both born in Redkovka, and never considered moving out. From the series 'Chernobyl's Last Breath'
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Masanovitz rests in her kitchen. Lida maintains the local church, a piece of the village that been restored since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The village today lies almost empty and decrepit. It is classified a zone two, making it too dangerous for anyone to live in. Its remaining residents are living off the land, eking out their silent years in the shadow of Chernobyl. From the series 'Chernobyl's Last Breath'
