Several years ago, after the release of a computer game “Stalker”, a new movement appeared among Russian youths. The so-called stalkers are mainly 14-20-year-old students who are fond of drinking cheap stuff like “Jaguar” in various abandoned, secret or simply unusual places. As the fans of the previously mentioned game, stalkers do not forget to create the appropriate atmosphere – they put on camouflage, take portable radio transmitters, gas masks, guns and a lot of other junk with themselves.

As a general rule, the lion’s share of equipment isn’t bought but stolen from unguarded shelters and warehouses. They call the stolen things “swag” (like in the game). So everything that is not bolted to the floor and does not exceed the lifting capabilities of a schoolboy is called in this way.

That’s how an average stalker looks.

1. There is a hood on his head, sometimes a cap with the GSC logo.

2. Red eyes resulted from playing “Stalker” for a long time.

3. Frail physique because of the same reason.

4. He’s not going to serve in the army.

5. He wears his father’s military trousers to look like any real stalker.

6. He sees anomaly in every bush, in every pool.

7. For this case he has a handful of bolts in his pocket. His cellphone’s memory is filled with photos of his forays into “areas” and pictures of a game.

8. He wears the same boots as in the game.

9. A gas mask from the neighboring store. A stalker is not a stalker without it.

10. A t-shirt is twice bigger than his size.

11. He’s sure that it’s possible to get rid of radiation if you eat several yellow kits.

12. He desires to visit Chernobyl.

13. Actually, all he knows about Chernobyl is that there is radiation there.

14. He never has a girlfriend. Stalkers are all unisexual.

15. Once heard of Strugatsky and Tarkovsky.

16. Tried to see the great work of this film director (Tarkovsky) but didn’t succeed as there were no leeches in this film.

But in reality they look like this.

The essence of their work is not very diverse:

– Come to the object.

– Take many pictures of it.

– Booze.

– Booze heavily.

– Booze till they become unconscious.

– Take pictures of themselves after they got drunk.

– Unscrew, break, steal or burn something.

– Go home.

– Download pictures in the Internet.

Recently, some regular stalkers have posted the photos from their booze in one of the once fully functional shelters of Moscow. Today we have a unique chance to assess the influence of this movement on the Russian youth looking at these “before” and “after” photographs.

This is an archive photo. It is a shelter where 1000 people could hide themselves in case of emergency. This room served as a library.

And this is how it looks now.

A classroom. 2 years ago it looked like this. Then stalkers came here…

Once fully staffed, with lighting, electricity, communications and equipment, the classroom looks like this now.

A corridor “before”…

And “after”.

After looting the object is burnt.

Picnics can also be a great fun for stalkers. To make a fire they use those white bags that are in huge amounts on the floor. These are individual anti-gas packages.

As you can see the warehouse of these packages is looted.

A poisonous substance.

Except for stalkers, there are some marginal elements who also search for some “swag”. They saw batteries, water supply systems and other sanitary crap with the help of an autogenous welder, rend the internal armoring of bunkers and bomb shelters and cut off their wiring and cables.

A picnic site.

Remains of the library.

Now 80% of all bomb shelters and bunkers are either looted or burnt…

via zyalt