Pining for a Soviet past

Jakeli (right), who sells scrap metal from his home, and a neighbour looking out across Kazreti, Georgia. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

THE town of Kazreti, nestled in the picturesque mountains of Georgia near the border with Armenia, once boasted a cinema, a bank, musical fountains, two schools and a kindergarten.

Dance ensembles and volleyball teams from across the Soviet Union would come to perform and compete, and central heating and electricity were free.