Photographer Eric Lusito documents Soviet-era scientific institutes across former USSR states in his book "Soviet Scientific Institutes," published by FUEL. The photo essay captures decaying facilities and enduring equipment at locations including the Institute of Radio Astronomy in Kharkiv, Ukraine; the Byurakan astrophysical observatory in Armenia; the Andronikashvili Institute of Physics in Tbilisi, Georgia; and the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute in Kazakhstan, among others.
The article matters because it visually preserves the legacy of Soviet "big science"—once a utopian ideal driven by Cold War military objectives—and shows how many of these institutions have persisted despite post-Soviet funding collapse and ongoing wartime conditions. It highlights the resilience of scientists who continue their work in damaged or abandoned facilities, bridging past technological ambition with present-day survival.