Every kind of building can be found on Lenin Street: stately pre-revolutionary mansions, one-story Siberian-style wooden cottages, utilitarian gray Soviet government buildings. Kiosks of all sizes line the sidewalk, offering rows of vodka, chocolate and chewing gum. Old Soviet-era vending machines that once sold carbonated water sit empty, their communal glasses long gone.

Proud statues adorn the street and its buildings: young, heroic figures of men and women in poses of victory and challenge. Towering above the street, they stand staring unblinkingly ahead, reminders of another era. Below them the mortals walk, occasionally casting glances skyward, more often keeping an eye on their own precarious path.