These pics were hidden by the censorship of the USSR

The works of photographers Vladimir Vorobyov and Vladimir Sokolaev today look like a genuine chronicle of the era. They could not be published in the official press: they contrasted too much with the usual gloss of Soviet propaganda. In everyday life, they photographed rallies, leaders, and holiday demonstrations, but occasionally they turned the camera on reality.

1. “Singing a Chicken”, 1980s

Birds in Soviet stores were often sold poorly plucked. To bring the carcass to a “suitable” condition, they burned it on a gas stove or right in the yard over a fire, filling the air with a disgusting smell. At the same time, the chicken itself resembled a skinny yard animal rather than a source of meat.

2. “Maternity Hospital. Kefir after Childbirth”, 1981

A woman lies on a gurney in the corridor – the wards are overcrowded. As a “therapeutic diet” after childbirth, she is given a glass of kefir. A symbol of free medicine and its real quality.

3. “Metallurgov Canteen”, 1981

Romanticized memories of cheap and filling Soviet canteens are shattered by the harsh truth: dirt, poverty, and an atmosphere of decline. In the West, free canteens for people experiencing homelessness looked more civilized in those years.

4. “Kiosk on Metallurgov Street”, early 1980s

Broken street pavement, peeling stall, food obtained with a fight from the hands of customers: someone grabbed two half-dead geese and bread. A look at people’s clothes and shoes also reveals a great deal.

5. “Whitewashing the ceiling in the classroom”, 1982

Soviet schoolchildren often became cheap labor. Instead of lessons, they were involved in real repair work, which was supposed to be done by specialists.

6. “Women with Belyashi and a Cart of Bricks”, 1981

This is what “equality in the Soviet style” looked like: women pulled heavy loads and did physically exhausting work. Their food, a symbol of the meager nutrition of that time, is also on camera.

7. “Standard Bearer on Ice”, 1981

On television, demonstrations always looked joyful and festive. In reality, there were plenty of random people and outright drunks among the participants.

8. “Queue for the Bathroom”, 1981, Novokuznetsk Orphanage

One child is waiting for his turn, another is changing clothes. The frightened look on the boy’s face, frozen in anticipation, says a lot.

9. “Children’s Games”, early 1980s

The so-called “games” consisted of drill training and unification of movements. Individuality and joy were completely absent.

10. “Sale of lamb bones”, Novokuznetsk

What was passed off as food was sometimes just gnawed bones. And this is the reality of the “best” food system.

11. “People with meat on Entuziastov Street”

A couple managed to get a piece of meat, and they are carrying it home as a trophy. The man glances sideways at the photographer with apparent apprehension – what if they want to take it away?

12. “Central market on Kurako Street”, 1983

A shot that requires no comment: grayness, poverty, and hopelessness.

13. “Passenger with eggs on a tram”

An older man is holding a whole tray of eggs – in conditions of shortages, this is a great success. Judging by the lack of other purchases, he especially drove across half the city to get them.

14. “Portrait with Shopping”

A mother and son are carrying home rare products: eggs, milk, bread, and some canned goods. In those years, even such a modest set was considered a sign of wealth.

15. “Soviet Ice Cream”

After weeks of eating potatoes, porridge, and bread, any ice cream seemed like a holiday.

16. “Flower Seller”, 1980

An older man is sitting right on a rock with small bouquets. Obviously, he sells not because he has a good life, but because he needs them.

17. “Queue Waiting for a Seller”, a photo from the same years.

The same Soviet street trade in some wretched apples or potatoes. The queue has already formed in advance and is waiting for the seller to arrive.

18. “Lecture on the International Situation”, 1979

A propagandist tells peasants about the intrigues of capitalism. Those in patched clothes listen to him, sitting on the ground and washing down their soup with bread.

19. “Agitation Brigade”, 1980

The speech to the collective farmers was supposed to inspire “optimism”, but their faces showed fatigue and indifference.

20. “Maslenitsa of Miners”, 1984

Soviet holidays were depicted as cheerful and bright, but in reality, they were often dull and formal gatherings with mandatory attendance.