Krokodil’s Legacy
Russia
2013/2016
The Krokodil is a home-made drug produced with highly toxic chemicals such as iodine, hydrochloric acid, solvents and phosphorus. The main ingredient is the desomorphine, an opiate that is obtained through the synthesis of codeine, a painkiller for headaches available in any pharmacy. Those who use it shut themselves up in the house and engage themselves in a continuous cycle of preparation and getting high, reaching even 50 injections in one day, with an effect that lasts about 40 minutes each time. The desomorphine that is "cooked" is highly impure and has devastating effects on muscle tissue, brain cells and organs. Liver, kidneys and heart are the first organs to be affected. Those who use it have a life expectancy of about three years. In most of Russian cities the Krokodil is widespread in the suburbs as an alternative to heroin. According to local activists in Yekaterinburg more people died because of Krokodil than from heroin. Although in 2014 federal authorities announced that Krokodil had been practically eradicated from the streets, its heavy legacy still mark the body of the users who survived and the life of the people who lost their beloved. In 2016 I went back in Yekaterinburg to find out that of the ten people I met in 2013 there are only three known survivors.
01 - March 2013 - Alexey injects a dose of Krokodil. Because of his drug addiction he had wounds and swelling feet and was forced to walk with a cane. (He died in 2015 because of the large use of Krokodil that reduced drastically his immune system).
02 - November 2013 - A stage in the preparation of Krokodil. The main ingredient of Krokodil is desomorphine, an opiate that is obtained through the synthesis of codeine.
03 - November 2013 - A stage in the preparation of Krokodil. The main ingredient of Krokodil is desomorphine, an opiate that is obtained through the synthesis of codeine.04 - November 2013 - Zhanna checks the krokodil while it cooks. (Zhanna died in 2015 due to the long use of Krokodil).
05 - November 2013 - Andrey injects a dose of krokodil to Zhanna in his apartment in the Uralmash district.
06 - October 2013 - A view of Yekaterinburg, a city with about 1.5 million inhabitants. More then 40,000 people are registered as drug users.
07 - November 2013 - Zhanna under the effect of Krokodil, trying to filter water from a bottle. (She died in 2015 due to the long use of Krokodil).08 - November 2013 - Vlad injects a dose of Krokodil while Zhanna already under the influence of thedrugs is stretched out on a couch.
09 - March 2013 - Pavel shows the effects of Krokodil on his skin. The chemical agents used during the preparation causing deep wounds and sores. (Pavel quit completely to take drugs at the end of 2014. According to him after he was close to die for the third time in his life).10 - March 2013 - Oxana controls the Krokodil while cooking. The high use of Krokodil damaged her mussels and her spine. (Since 2014 she has been lying in bed with her back permanently damaged).
11 - March 2013 - Pavel in line to buy painkillers containing codeine in a pharmacy in Ekaterinburg.12 - March 2013 - A woman walks on a street in the outskirts of Yekaterinburg.13 - November 2013 - Andrey scraped away with a razor blade the desomorphine remaining on the bottom of a pot.14 - November 2013 - Andrey prepares pills containing codeine. The main ingredient of Krokodil is desomorphine, an opiate that is obtained through the synthesis of codeine.15 - November 2013 - Zhanna under the influence of drugs, while Andrey draws water from a pot to get sulfur.16 - November 2013 - Elman shows the wounds in the legs caused by the use of Krokodil and methadone.17 - November 2013 - Zhanna under the effect of Krokodil, lying on a couch in an apartment in the district of Uralmash. (She died in 2015 due to the long use of Krokodil).
18 - November 2013 - From left Alexey, Natalya and her husband Ilya while preparing the Krokodil in their kitchen.19 - November 2013 - A dose of Krokodil ready for injection.20 - Novemeber 2013 - Ilya during a phase of the preparation of Krokodil.21 - November 2013 - Sasha is lying in a bed while waiting for a dose of Krokodil.22 - In 2016 I went back to Yekaterinburg. Of 10 people I met in 2013 there are only three known survivors.23 - March 2016 - Since 2014 Oxana has been lying in bed with her back permanently damaged. The high use of Krokodil damaged her mussels and her spine. Despite several surgeries she can't seat or stand. Her condition has also been worsened by her father's beatings who couldn't cope with her constant request for money to buy drug.24 - March 2016 - Since 2014 Oxana has been lying in bed with her back permanently damaged. The high use of Krokodil damaged her mussels and her spine. Despite several surgeries she can't seat or stand. Her condition has also been worsened by her father's beatings who couldn't cope with her constant request for money to buy drug.25 - March 2016 - Olya is buried in a cemetery in Uralmash district next to her relatives. She died in 2015 due to her liver failure after a long use of Krokodil.26 - March 2016 - Lyudmila in her flat in Uralmash district. Her daughter Zhanna died in 2015 due to the long use of Krokodil. Lyudmila is now living with her granddaughter.27 - March 2016 - Natalya in the flower shop where she's working. His boy friend Alexey died in 2015 because of the large use of Krokodil that reduced drastically his immune system.28 - March 2016 - Pavel and Alexey together in a picture taken about ten years ago. The two brothers have used Krokodil for several years. According to Pavel he quit completely after he was close to die for the third time. His brother Alexey died in 2015.29 - March 2016 - Due to the prolonged use of Krokodil Pavel has undergone numerous surgeries to remove the infected flesh. He quit completely to take drugs about two years ago, according to him ,after he was close to die for the third time in his life.30 - March 2016 - Andrey affected with tuberculosis lies in a hospital bed. The treatment he is undergoing is affecting seriously his liver already damaged from a long use of Krokodil.31 - March 2016 - A courtyard in Uralmash district. A large industrial district in the north of Yekaterinburg. A ghetto for factory workers and their families know for the high number of criminals and drug users.