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St. Petersburg Mourns Popular Lake's Disappearance

nizamelika / Instagram

The mysterious disappearance of a reservoir an hour’s drive from St. Petersburg has baffled local residents.

Images on social media show an archipelago in place of Lazurnoye Ozero (Azure Lake), a popular weekend getaway for city dwellers measuring roughly 200 meters by 200 meters.

“Unfortunately, Azure Lake decreased significantly in size and swimming there won’t be as comfortable as it was last season,” its operator announced in May.

Comments on the sanatorium’s social media page lamented the lake’s disappearance, with one user writing last week “it’s even sadder there without water.”

Another user speculated that the water may have been pumped out of the reservoir for the construction of a nearby quarry.

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