The end of Mardai
In the late 1970s, Soviet geologists discovered large uranium deposits near the Mardai River in Dornod Province of Eastern Mongolia. A secret agreement established a mine and associated town, unmarked on any map, which operated between 1988 and 1998. Eventually the Russian miners and their families went home and the city’s infrastructure was left to slowly decay. Mongolians took advantage of the valuable metals found in the ruins. These were sold to the Chinese leaving behind dangerously unstable structures. Furthermore, untreated radioactive waste litters the area and locals suspect that this is responsible for increasing numbers of deformed livestock and high rates of cancer related deaths that are anecdotally reported in the area.
Vlad Sokhin
Vlad Sokhin (Russia/Portugal) is a documentary photographer, videographer and multimedia producer. He covers social, cultural, environmental, health and human rights issues around the world, including post-conflict and natural disaster zones. Vlad has worked on photo, video and radio projects, collaborating with various international media and with the United Nations and international NGOs. Vlad’s work has been exhibited and published internationally, including at Visa Pour L’Image and Head On photo festivals and in the National Geographic, International Herald Tribune, Newsweek Japan, BBC World Service, the Guardian, National Geographic Traveler, GEO, ABC, NPR, The Atlantic, Stern, Le Monde, Paris Match, Esquire, Das Magazin, WIRE Amnesty International, Sydney Morning Herald, Marie Claire, The Global Mail, Russian Reporter and others. Vlad has produced short multimedia films as well as fundraising and campaign videos for UNICEF, UNAIDS, UN Women, OHCHR, The Fred Hollows Foundation, Amnesty International and ChildFund.
