In 2008, Russian photographer Irina Popova was taking photos by a St. Petersburg nightclub when she saw a woman urinating in the street while her daughter sat in a stroller nearby.
Then a 21-year-old college student, Popova asked the woman, Lilya, if she could take her photograph. That photo spurred a months-long photo project on the lives of the little girl, Anfisa, and her parents, Lilya and a man named Pasha.
With the family's permission, Popova stayed with them for several weeks in the single-room apartment they all shared. Lilya and Pasha both abused drugs and alcohol, and Popova saw how their carefree, destructive lifestyle affected their young daughter.
Russians view drug abuse as a huge problem, with more than 2.5 million Russians addicted to various drugs, according to government statistics cited by the Associated Press. 90% of Russia's drug abusers use heroin, which flows freely there from Afghanistan.
Popova's photographs have been collected in a book, "Another Family," but she shared a selection with us here.
This is Lilya and Pasha. They live in St. Petersburg and abused drug and alchol when Popova stayed with them. Both are in their late 20s in this picture.
Here's the stroller Anfisa was in when Popova met her mother in front of the St. Petersburg nightclub.
When Popova asked Lilya if she could take her picture, Lilya began striking different poses, before laying down on the pavement. She was clearly on drugs.
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