Reindeer herder Simyon travels by sled from his chum towards Vorkuta to buy supplies. Construction of gas pipelines and industrial complexes is threatening the herders’ way of life, forcing them to travel further afield in search of pastures.
Vorkuta is a coal mining and former Gulag town 1,200 miles north east of Moscow, beyond the Arctic Circle, where temperatures in winter drop to -50C.
Here, whole villages are being slowly deserted and reclaimed by snow, while the financial crisis is squeezing coal mining companies that already struggle to find workers.
