The Sochi Olympics concluded barely a month ago, but according to a local photographer, the Olympic Village and surrounding hotels are already a ghost town.

Alexander Valov, who runs "Blog Sochi," captured photos that depict a desolate Sochi, with infrastructure already breaking down and some construction never completed. Clearly, Russia's priorities are elsewhere with Sochi complete and crises in Ukraine and Crimea. And, yes, photos can be taken at certain times of day or from certain angles to communicate agendas. Even so, these pictures depict a city that has a long way to go in order to meet gaudy promises of becoming a world-class tourist destination.

Wildflowers are growing with hotels in the distance:

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Dozens of hotels now sit virtually empty:

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Some construction remains undone to this day:

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And look ... the stray dogs are returning:

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For more images, see Valov's site here. Sochi's future will be a fascinating one to watch.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter.



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