Merak

The two stars forming the outer edge of the bowl of the Big Dipper are named Merak and Dubhe and are known as the pointers, because if you draw an imaginary line between them, it’ll point you north to Polaris.

Tsvetkova’s children’s theater, Merak, no longer exists — frequent visits from law enforcement were too distressing for the children so it shut down.

The 62-year-old veteran, who runs a small convenience store in the village of Merak, feared for his life as he went along the mountain crest, carrying ammunition and other essentials.

Visits to the lake have been rare since - travellers were only allowed to return in January, and the BBC is one of few media outlets to reach villages like Merak, home to around 350 people, many of them nomads.

Tsvetkova’s troubles seem to have started when Merak, the children’s theater, was preparing to show a play about gender stereotypes, titled “The Blues and the Pinks,” in March 2019 at a theater festival she organized.