The People

Real Russia: How People Live in Isolated Remote Villages? / Fading villages, no roads (5x19)

: 17, 2025

People, today, we're about 100 miles south of Arkhangelsk, a major city and a White Sea port in the Russian North. Here, not far from the Plesetsk Spaceport, deep in the forests, there are two tiny settlements, Luzhma and Seza. This narrow-gauge railroad is their only connection with the civilization. You can’t get here by car; there are no roads. A small diesel locomotive delivers everything: food, mail, and people’s pensions. Railway is the only thing that supports life here, deep in the woods. There is no longer a passenger car running to the villages anymore.