The Boreal Forest in the Mezensky District of Arkhangelsk, Russia, is home to a variety of wildlife, including wild reindeer, wolves, and grouse. However, during his fifth trip to this forest, photographer Makar Tereshin decided to pursue a more unusual “prey”: a nearly 20-meter-long Soyuz rocket booster from Russia.
This rocket fell in the middle of the forest, which is covered with pine and birch trees, in 1989 after it exploded following its launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Mirny, located about 200 miles south of the Boreal Forest.
Image captured by photographer Makar Tereshin.
The Plesetsk facility was built in the late 1950s, becoming the world’s first intercontinental ballistic missile base. It has conducted over 1,500 spacecraft launches from 1966 to 2005, with a frequency of more than 60 launches per year during the 1970s.
Most of the “debris” from these launches, such as rocket stages, fuel tanks, or rocket casings, fell into the uninhabited forests and swamps of the Mezensky District, where “hunters” would search for them.
Contrary to what many might think, the “hunters” here are not professional forces trained by Russia. In fact, they are scrap metal collectors who specialize in retrieving metals from rocket debris. Due to strict regulations, they only began this work in the late 1980s.
In conversations with photographer Tereshin, the “hunters” revealed that they previously used axes to chop metal pieces off. Later, someone had the idea of using a circular saw, making the job a bit easier. However, dismantling just one rocket stage can take up to a week.
Once their work is complete, the “hunters” sell the collected metals—aluminum, gold, silver, copper, and titanium—for cash in Arkhangelsk or repurpose them to build fences, gutters, and even saunas.
Tereshin noted that creations made from the metals salvaged from Russian rocket debris can still be found scattered in yards and some homes in Mezensky, though metal collecting activities have gradually decreased. By the 1990s, the number of launches at Plesetsk Cosmodrome had significantly declined.
Debris from launches in 2013 primarily fell into areas of the Komi Republic and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (both federal subjects of Russia) nearby.
“Hunters” are scrap metal collectors who search for metals from rocket debris. (Photo: Tereshin).
Another reason is that the “skilled hunters” are all aging. According to Tereshin, those who started collecting metals in the early 1990s have retired and are no longer interested in adventures.
However, Alexei—the “hunter” that Tereshin followed to document this journey—is different. He is pursuing another adventure. After discovering a rocket booster in the Boreal Forest, he enlisted the help of his two older sons to dismantle it.
They set off on snowmobiles before dawn and sped 40 miles through strong winds and sub-zero temperatures to reach the forest. The rocket booster lay beneath the tall trees, covered by a blanket of white snow.
The three of them agreed to let Tereshin document their hunting trip, as long as he promised not to reveal Alexei’s true identity or the village where they lived.
Tereshin diligently photographed for four days, capturing images of Alexei and his two sons clearing the snow off the rocket booster and cutting metal blocks to tie onto their sled for the journey home.
For Alexei and his sons, this is a way to make a living, while for Tereshin, this journey offers a fascinating glimpse into a hunt that very few have witnessed.
