In Pictures

Gallery|Poverty and Development

Russia’s decaying villages

Thousands of villages have a population of less than ten people, and many more lack adequate infrastructure.

Thousands of abandoned villages are scattered across northern Russia. Many have become uninhabited due to a lack of infrastructure and jobs. Poor quality roads make some regions unreachable, so people have to save food for weeks ahead, especially in early spring when the frozen rivers begin to melt and before ferries are operational.
By Andrey Kovalenko and Nikolay Korzhov
Published On 2 May 2014

Moscow, Russia – The fall of the Soviet Union precipitated the collapse of many collective farms and state-owned enterprises, shutting down thousands of factories and throwing millions of people out of work.

In rural areas, many were left behind and had few opportunities to adapt to new circumstances caused by a lack of infrastructure and poor education.

Unemployment and poor living conditions forced people out of the villages and led them to migrate toward the cities. In northern Russia, there are hundreds of abandoned settlements and ruined factories, making many villages feel like ghost towns. A substantial number villages are home to primarily pensioners and thousands of villages have less than ten people.

Unemployment and alcoholism are widespread. Critics say the government has not created iniatives to revitalise these towns, leaving many to decay.

The decay of many Russian villages is likely to continue without help from government, investments, infrastructure and social services.
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The outmigration of young people is a real threat to the future and sustainability of rural villages. 
Railway and timber industry employees are among the best paid workers in these areas. Monthly salaries can reach up to $800. These workers receive additional compensations for labouring in harsh conditions.
Aleksander Tarutin, 55, has been working on the railroad for his whole life. "Here, it(***)s more or less stable to work only on a railroad or in the forest industry. I started to work as a mechanic after I finished school, but later on became a welder," says Tarutin.
Vladimir Vrachihin, 59, retired five years ago, but keeps working at a sawmill because "the money is good". He admits that life has changed greatly in comparison with the 1990s, when "everything was in ruin. Now many private companies own the sawmills, so they want their workers. It(***)s hard to work in the North, but I have no choice," says Vladimir.
Thousands of factories in rural Russia closed during the 1990s, throwing millions of people out of work. Most of these factories remain in ruins.
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Alcoholism in rural towns became a growing problem following the collapse of communism and the subsequent economic turmoil.
Pasha is Lidiya Spiridonova(***)s second child. She lost the parental rights for her first child a couple of years ago due to alcoholism. She now lives with her 55-year-old husband, who helps her drink less. Her two-year-old son has a developmental disability, and she has been unable to find employment for several years.
Patients at a mental hospital in Velsk, a small town in Arkhangelsk region, have a high rate of alcoholism. More than half of the 405 patients here checked in for substance abuse.
Maxim Nechaev, 16, calls himself an orphan in spite of the fact that his mother is still alive. She lost her parental rights after Maxim(***)s father died. He was sent to a school for children with developmental disorders in the small northern town of Shenkursk. "I have spent 8 years here already. I don(***)t feel resentment, I got used to it," says Nechaev.
The 15th century Aleksandro-Oshevensky monastery lays in ruins. Father Cyprian was appointed the abbot years ago, but there(***)s only one novice who stays with him to help restore the building.
Maxim, 35, left the northern town of Arkhangelsk four years ago and decided to become a novice. He was looking for relief from the unpleasant realities and enjoys living a simple life in the monastery. "It will be very difficult for me to go back. I don(***)t know what(***)s going to happen tomorrow, but I feel very happy now," says Maxim.