Photographers use Instagram to display and share images of ruined cultural landmarks with the broader public. In Russia, where thousands of historical villas and churches are found in a state of decay and are in danger of complete destruction, creating awareness about the state of such cultural heritage has important political and societal implications. In the process of documenting the decay of cultural landmarks, the photographers, I argue, come out as civic activists who inform the public about the state of affairs in the field of heritage protection as well as engage in the discussion about the role of the state, the church and the citizens in this practice. By drawing on a case study of three Instagram accounts @deadokey, @krokhino and @samasyava and using qualitative visual content analysis of Instagram imagery, I frame, explore and interpret visual posts made in order to raise awareness about decaying cultural landmarks.