Small towns in the Vorkuta urban district have become uninhabited while its citizens attempt to sell their property for a pittance and leave for Vorkuta city or for 'the South' as the territory on the other side of the polar circle is known.
Drone footage shows deserted apartments and living spaces in the Komsomolskiy, Vorgarosh, and Rudnik settlements. Buildings were completely covered with snow and frost while windows were broken due to the extreme weather.
People began to move away from the area after the collapse of the USSR when ironwork facilities were closed. Somewhere between five to twenty thousand people used to live in eight small towns situated near coal mines. The circle bus route connects remote settlements with each other as well as with the city of Vorkuta but due to severe weather conditions during winter the routes are out of service.
There remain to be settlements where one or two families are still inhabiting the area, forcing the regional government to establish the program of 'controlled contraction.' This action is aimed at helping people to move to other locations in order to cut expenses for the state and the city.