From the mid 90s through 00s, as Russia was reeling under the effects of rapid privatization and from the rise of the oligarchs, this metro station was one of the most public symbols of the crushing insecurities and impoverishment of the new Russia. Masses of homeless people sheltered around the station, and inside it too during bad weather. Sex workers, many of them underage, congregated there.

Things are more stable now, and people living on the margins are less vulnerable, but I guess the place keeps up some of its flavor! The horses, though. That’s a head scratcher. I occasionally chat with a young gay activist who lives in St. P. I’ll drop him a line and see if he can shed any light on it.