|
 Since then, the husband and wife have lived for more than a
quarter of a century in a primitive hut in a forest in
northeastern Belarus, close to the Russian border.
"There are no people - there is no conflict," said Tamara Baikov,
who says she loves weeding her vegetable patch and would rather
plow a hectare of land than venture to a city.
Life is simple for the two 69-year-olds. There is no
electricity, so they read by torchlight. They take the water
they need from the river and cook with a wood-burning stove.
Their chickens and ducks provide them with meat and eggs. Their
goats give them milk and cottage cheese. Manure is their only
fertilizer for growing potatoes and vegetables.
Daughter Veronika is their main contact with the outside world.
She brings any additional supplies they might need from a store,
and also sells their produce to generate some income.
"Our Veronika sells all this in neighboring Russia. Plus a
pension, we have enough to live on," Yuri said. "We cannot leave
our animals and birds even for a day - and we don't want to."
They live on a small farm they built in 1992. The nearest
Belarussian village, Yukhovichi, is 15 km (9 miles) away, while
Russia is a few hundred meters across the river.
They used to live in Yukhovichi as farmers, keeping cows and
poultry. But dwelling near other people did not suit them -- the
injured duck was one example.
[to top of second column] |
In late 1991, the local authorities gave them a piece of land in the
forest and one night in May 1992, they left together with Veronika,
five cows, some groceries, tools and nails.
They spent the first few nights under a linden tree, covering
themselves in plastic sheets for warmth.
Veronika grew up and eventually moved beyond the river to a village
in Russia called Davostsy. She now has a 16-year-old daughter of her
own called Angelina.
Tamara and Yuri stayed in the cramped hut that was initially
intended as a temporary shelter. They had planned to build a proper
house, but a lack of money and bureaucratic hassles prevented them
from doing so.
They like to listen to Russian radio stations to keep up with world
news. But mostly they enjoy the solitude.
"Silence is very good - only grandma is not silent, she talks a
lot," Yuri joked, referring to his wife.
For a photo essay, click on: https://reut.rs/2OGbnuM
(Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Alison Williams)
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