Shasta is inhabited by only one family couple. Half a century ago about 200 families were residing here. Their houses were abandoned and look as if people at some point just stood up and went out, leaving all their belongings behind. These houses often gets robbed by strangers stealing these belongings and selling them to antiquities stores.

Nina’s birthplace, a village where generations of her ancestors used to live, now became a deserted island.

Nina is rooted in the place where she has spent all her life. Even if she would be able to move somewhere, she wouldn’t go for it and prefer to stay in her rundown, falling apart house.

Kulak (rich peasant) was killed by communists shortly after the Communists Revolution of 1917. His house stayed abandoned for almost a century and has finally fallen apart.

Volodja is one of two Tcheshegora’s male residents. He is a retired tractor operator. He was working all his life at tree-cuttings.

Three decades ago Tcheshegora was home for around 200 people. In 2008 when I started this documentary project the village’s population was 30 people. In 2011 this number reduced to 10.

A festival in the town of Karpogory. This administrative center provides residents of all surrounding remote villages in the radius of at least 100 km with services like healthcare, banking, mailing.

Nina, the last resident of Kochmogora village, is pulling home the slides loaded with food products. The only way of buying food in Kochmogora is from a travelling shop which arrives once a week. The snapshot was made on December 29 2010. The next time this woman will have a chance to purchase something edible is after the New Year vacations, not earlier than January 10 2011.

Valentina, as well as the majority of other Pirinem village residents, rinses her laundry in Pinega river, both in summer and in winter.

Remnants of a house sawed into firewood by people from nearby villages.

In the majority of the region’s villages a grocery truck arriving once a week gives the only chance for people to purchase food. This is a privately-run service. State-owned stores closed long ago. However as the population decreases, this grocery truck business becomes less and less profitable and soon it will inevitably be cancelled leaving people without any ways of buying food.

In the majority of the region’s villages a grocery truck arriving once a week gives the only chance for people to purchase food. This is a privately-run service. State-owned stores closed long ago. However as the population decreases, this grocery truck business becomes less and less profitable and soon it will inevitably be cancelled leaving people without any ways of buying food.

I was making this documentary for 4 years. During this period the population of Cheshegora village decreased thrice, from 30 to 10 people.

The man ran out of money and sold his horse for meat. This horse used to carry firewood and water to a local school. Afterwards all the three pupils and their teacher took over these duties. However, the school was closed down the next year due to the absence of children in Shotogorka.