Settling new territories and the northern regions, and erecting new cities and giant industrial facilities constituted the bright facade of the Soviet Union. But the story behind the scenes concerned the people’s health. The populace paid a high personal price for being able to deliver triumphant reports on the construction of socialism, and the consequences of those hardships are felt to this day. Using a study by researchers from HSE and the Semashko National Institute of Public Health, IQ looks at why the era of stagnation was a period of increased illness and mortality.