The Dangers of Diktatura: A Village in the Tula Region Fascinates with Symbols.

Tula Region — 2021

The village of Diktatura lies in the Plavsky District of the Tula Region, far from major roads and urban centers. Today, it has about five hundred residents.

In 2020, a new asphalt road was built to connect the settlement to the federal highway. The road ends here: beyond it lie fields, shelterbelts, and agricultural land. Many residents work for the local agricultural enterprise Udarnik, which was established on the foundations of the former state farm.

Daily life centers on a small number of essential institutions: a school, a kindergarten, a medical station, a post office, and several local shops. Vegetable gardens, greenhouses, farm machinery, and livestock remain a familiar part of the landscape.

These photos were taken in the summer of 2021. They document a place where the Soviet past remains evident not only in the settlement’s name but also in its built environment, everyday life, and visual symbols.