Discover Russia’s Ghost Villages

5 minute read

Russia is the largest country in the world. From the coniferous forests and bare steppes dotting the Eurasian belt to the frozen tundra and iced permafrost scattered on the Kolyma Mountains in Siberia, this immense territory showcases a diverse topography that spans over 6 million square miles of land.

Looking at Russia on a map, one can see large, shallow rivers that occasionally interrupt this vast landscape with oblique and vertical lines, like tangled veins nourishing a wide green leaf with their dense sap.

Historically, rivers played a crucial role in Russia’s economy. The Vikings who dominated the region during the ninth century largely used the streams to trade amber, wood, fish, slaves and fur, the “soft gold” and Russia’s main source of income. As hunting and trading expanded further north, rivers became the country’s main system for keeping Russian provinces, its cities and residents, all connected along the trade waterway.

“Rivers is just a starting point [of a great civilization,]” Russian photographer Denis Sinyakov explains. “Because of the rivers, Russia became so huge and so rich.”

But Russia didn’t always value this great resource. The Bolshevik revolution and then the Soviet regime transformed not only the course of economy — railroads and concrete highways substituted most of the waterways — they also instilled a work ethic that forbade entrepreneurship and restrained private initiative, curbing the spirit of the Russian people. As rivers lost their role as the central arteries of communication and trade, nearby villages on the waterways’ banks started to vanish.

Retracing the ancient, shallow, trade waterways forded centuries ago by traders and sailors, Sinyakov’s work, On the rivers, aims to document the complexity of disappearing villages while analyzing the economical and psychological repercussions on the remaining residents.

In the spring of 2014, and then again a year later, he joined carpenter and traveler Sergey Filenko, who had explored the region’s waterways for 13 years and had designed a tour of the ancient routes. The duo started from Sosnogorsk village, in the Komi Republic. They sailed along the Izhma River reaching its source and then carried the wooden boat to the Vychegda River, reaching the Arkhangelsk region. Overall they covered a distance of about 550 miles. In 2015, they journeyed 370 miles along the Sukhona River. They visited almost every village they encountered on their way to Vologda. Sinyakov also explored the northern regions by himself, visiting hamlets along the Usa and Ob rivers, once the final destinations of fur traders en route to the Arctic Ocean.

Traveling on the rivers was a peculiar experience for Sinyakov, a former photographer for Agence France-Presse and Reuters. “As a journalist, I know what I am going to say with a story, how I am going to take photos, and what kind of photos I have to take just to tell a story,” he says. “But this river story was completely different because I had no idea where I would go.” Most importantly, he had no idea what he would find. In Vorobyevo village on the Sukhona river, for example, the photographer met with the only resident left: Vasily Rasskazov, a sarcastic, heavy smoker who spoke about the Soviet Union with criticism and a touch of nostalgia, recounting memories from a grim past of oppression mixed with a beloved, but lost, youth.

“I wanted to show [the Russians] on one hand as simple people, but on the other hand as complicated people,” Sinyakov explains. “On one hand they are happy, but they are also unhappy. They are proud of the past, but nothing to be proud of in Modern Russia.”

There are still signs of hope, Sinyakov points out. A reverse trend might suggest a return of young entrepreneurs to the countryside, and young residents annually reenact ancient chants and dances to preserve their traditions.

“They just want to live a full life. Not a rich life, but a common life, like have enough money [for themselves,] enough money to educate their children, have a business, a nice neighborhood around them,” says Sinyakov. In a complicated tangle of contradictions that afflict their existence, many have turned to Putin as a savior, the photographer adds, as the president has given the country new luster and power on the international map. But little, if anything, has been done for the small villages.

Giving voice to the residents, the photographer urges his fellow countrymen to reflect on their conditions and come to terms with reality: “What happened during this Soviet Union? What is now? What will happen in the future?” These are the questions Sinyakov wants Russians to ask themselves.

Denis Sinyakov is a Moscow-based freelance photographer and videographer.

Mikko Takkunen, who edited this photo essay, is the former International Photo Editor at TIME.com.

Lucia De Stefani is a writer and contributor at TIME LightBox. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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Ulyanovsky monastery, almost destroyed during Soviet time is seen on the Vychegda River.
Reflections of the Ulyanovsky monastery, almost destroyed during the Soviet time, are seen along the banks of the Vychegda River, in the village of Ulyanovo in the Komi Republic, June 2014.Denis Sinyakov
A folklore ensemble from the neighboring village of Markushka arrives to Sergievskaya Sloboda village to celebrate its 380th anniversary. According to local accounts, Russian culture is disappearing, especially in small villages, as the youths lose interest in keeping traditions alive. In Moscow, though, a cultural revival is happening as more and more people gather to celebrate holidays according to the traditions.
A folklore ensemble celebrates the 380th anniversary of the Sergievskaya Sloboda village, located on the Sukhona River, on July 2015. According to local accounts, Russian culture is disappearing from small villages, as the youth lose interest in keeping traditions alive. In Moscow, though, a cultural revival is happening as more and more people gather to celebrate holidays according to the traditions. Denis Sinyakov
Locals celebrate the 380th birthday of their village, Sergievskaya Sloboda, located on the Sukhona River. For the fifth time in the past 25 years, the village's former and current residents have celebrated the anniversary, singing songs and retelling old stories. The festival is made possible by a local entrepreneur, the owner of the town's sawmill.
Locals celebrate the 380th anniversary of their village, Sergievskaya Sloboda. For the fifth time in the past 25 years, the village's former and current residents have celebrated the anniversary, singing songs and retelling old stories. The festival is made possible by a local entrepreneur, the owner of the town's sawmill. July 2015. Denis Sinyakov
A local man works in a garden of his private house on the bank of Sukhona River in the town of Totma, the administrative center of Totemsky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia.
A local man works in the garden of his private house on the bank of Sukhona River, in the town of Totma, the administrative center of Totemsky District in Vologda Oblast, July 2015.Denis Sinyakov
An abandoned house in the village of Sedtydin on the shores of the Vychegda River in the Komi Republic.
An abandoned house in the village of Sedtydin on the shores of the Vychegda River, in the Komi Republic, June 2014.Denis Sinyakov
Vasily Rasskazov, the only man living in the village of Vorobyovo is seen next to Sukhona River. Rasskazov is a former farmer worker. Now as a pensioner he visits his friend Alexander often, who lives in Nizhny Pochinok village. Rasskazov expresses his disappointment with USSR, which he blames for the disappearance of small villages, but he greets Putin’s policy on foreign affairs.
Vasily Rasskazov, the only man living in the village of Vorobyovo, sits nearby the Sukhona River, July 2015. A former farmer now retired, Rasskazov visits often his friend who lives in the nearby Nizhny Pochinok village. Rasskazov expresses disappointment with USSR, which he blames for the disappearance of small villages, and he greets Putin’s policy on foreign affairs.Denis Sinyakov
A boy in the village of Laikovo on the Izhma River studies his small fish in a jar, which he lured in with breadcrumbs.
A boy in the village of Laikovo, on the Izhma River, studies small fishes caught in a jar, which he lured in with breadcrumbs. May 2014.Denis Sinyakov
Andrey Tikalov from the village of Laikovo, shows his trophy from the banks of the Izhma River.
Andrey Tikalov, from the village of Laikovo, shows his trophy from the banks of the Izhma River. May 2014.Denis Sinyakov
The black-and-white portrait belonged to two people who once lived in a now abandoned house, in the village of Vorobevo. Beneath, a reproduction of Ivan Kramskoy's "The Unknown Woman" is seen.
Black-and-white portrait of a couple who once lived in a now abandoned house in the village of Vorobevo. Beneath the photograph, a reproduction of Ivan Kramskoy's "The Unknown Woman." July 2015.Denis Sinyakov
A family, Olga and Alexey Sergeev is pictured in a former Soviet river dispatching office i Ust-Vologodskoye. Alexey is a worker at local businessman Alexander Zheltov's (an owner of local river fleet and ports) company
Valentina and Alexey Sergeev spend a weekend in one of Sergeev's employer's properties, a former Soviet-era river dispatching office, in the Ust’-Vologodskoye village, on the Vologda River, July 2015. Sergeev's employer owns local fleet and ports. The office used to serve a multitude of ships, but now there are plans to turn it into a museum of boats. Denis Sinyakov
Zhanna Fedukova washes floors at the old church in her village of Ust-Pechenga on Sukhona river. Fedukova and her husband are only people in the village who look after the church, trying to keep it in a proper condition. The old church has been abandoned for several years before their arrival.
Zhanna Fedukova washes the floors of the old Pokrov church located in the village of Ust-Pechenga, on Sukhona River, where she lives. Fedukova and her husband are the only people in the village trying to keep the church in proper conditions. It was abandoned for several years before their arrival. July 2015.Denis Sinyakov
Russian carpenter and traveler Sergey Filenko from Karelia leads his boat along the waters of the Sukhona River. In 2002, Filenko left Lake Onega and sailed down the Vodla River, in the south-east of Republic of Karelia, Russia, retracing the routes of medieval fur traders in the Ob River basin.
Russian carpenter and traveler Sergey Filenko from Karelia leads his boat along the waters of the Sukhona River. In 2002, Filenko left Lake Onega and sailed down the Vodla River, in the Republic of Karelia, retracing the ancient routes of medieval Rus traders, June 2015.Denis Sinyakov

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