I think it’s unlikely to see much foot traffic in winter in the middle of an office park, on a sidewalk that connects one highrise to another. I’m sure plenty of people do walk around in the winter in Moscow (and some of the other photos show plenty of pedestrians), but even here in the US, locations like those shown in these pictures tend not to get much foot traffic in winter, and Moscow winters are a lot colder than most of the US.
Well, I am in Germany, and they’re all over the place in Winter. I believe I see something you don’t see and you may not agree with. These structures, I think, were construction boondoggles awarded to close friends of Putin. I see this as Potemkin villages. Similarly, in China, whole cities have been built during their boom without anyone in them. But for some, those who are enchanted with the dashing Putin, he’s a brilliant forward-thinking conservative who can make no mistakes. Not saying that’s you.