The Archive of Buryatia in Ulan-Ude is located in the courtyard of the republican administration on Lenin Square (home to the largest statue of the leader’s head). Nearby stands the building of the republican KGB. On the roof of this large structure, there is a soot-covered chimney. From time to time, smoke rises from it, despite the fact that the city uses a centralized water heating system powered by a thermal power plant.

Other nearby buildings lack chimneys, having only ventilation systems. It’s unsettling to imagine what might be burning in that building, and I can’t shake the thought that it could be archives going up in flames. 
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