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Photos: No people, no problem for reclusive forest dwellers in Belarus

There are no people - there is no conflict, life is simple for the two 69-year-olds. Tamara and Yuri Baikov 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. They have been living on a small farm they built in 1992. Their daughter moved to a village in Russia as she grew up whereas, both of them stayed back in their cramped hut enjoying the solitude.

Updated on: Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM IST

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1/11

Yuri Baikov, 69, plants tomatoes at his small farm, situated in a forest near the village of Yukhovichi, Belarus. Yuri and his wife Tamara, 69, knew it was time to move away from their village when one of their ducks wandered into a neighbour’s plot of land, only to return with a wire deliberately threaded through its beak. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

Yuri Baikov, 69, plants tomatoes at his small farm, situated in a forest near the village of Yukhovichi, Belarus. Yuri and his wife Tamara, 69, knew it was time to move away from their village when one of their ducks wandered into a neighbour’s plot of land, only to return with a wire deliberately threaded through its beak. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

2/11

Since then, the husband and wife have lived for more than a quarter of a century in this primitive hut in a forest in northeastern Belarus, close to the Russian border. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

Since then, the husband and wife have lived for more than a quarter of a century in this primitive hut in a forest in northeastern Belarus, close to the Russian border. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

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“There are no people - there is no conflict,” said Tamara Baikov, who says she loves weeding her vegetable patch and would rather plough a hectare of land than venture to a city. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

“There are no people - there is no conflict,” said Tamara Baikov, who says she loves weeding her vegetable patch and would rather plough a hectare of land than venture to a city. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

4/11

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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

5/11

Turkeys are seen at their small farm. Their chickens and ducks provide them with meat and eggs, whereas, goats give them milk and cottage cheese. And for growing vegetables manure is only fertilizer. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

Turkeys are seen at their small farm. Their chickens and ducks provide them with meat and eggs, whereas, goats give them milk and cottage cheese. And for growing vegetables manure is only fertilizer. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

6/11

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. Adding to it, they get a pension which Yuri said is enough to live on. “We cannot leave our animals and birds even for a day - and we don’t want to.” (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

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. Adding to it, they get a pension which Yuri said is enough to live on. “We cannot leave our animals and birds even for a day - and we don’t want to.” (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

7/11

Yuri walks to feed his domesticated birds near his hut. He and his wife live on a small farm they built in 1992. The nearest Belarussian village, Yukhovichi, is 15 km away, while Russia is a few hundred metres 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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

Yuri walks to feed his domesticated birds near his hut. He and his wife live on a small farm they built in 1992. The nearest Belarussian village, Yukhovichi, is 15 km away, while Russia is a few hundred metres 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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

8/11

Yuri followed by his dogs at his small farm. 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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

Yuri followed by his dogs at his small farm. 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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

9/11

Veronika cleans snow off a roof at their farms. As she grew up, she 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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

Veronika cleans snow off a roof at their farms. As she grew up, she 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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

10/11

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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

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. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

11/11

The hut where the elderly couple lives is seen under night stars. “Silence is very good - only grandma is not silent, she talks a lot,” Yuri joked, referring to his wife. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

Updated on Aug 22, 2018 11:25 AM

The hut where the elderly couple lives is seen under night stars. “Silence is very good - only grandma is not silent, she talks a lot,” Yuri joked, referring to his wife. (Vasily Fedosenko / REUTERS)

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