A village resident answered Matvienko about the resettlement of urban youth: “People are downtrodden here”

Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko proposed to relocate young people from cities to villages. In her opinion, rural bloggers should talk about the benefits of living in the countryside.

Svetlana lives in a Buryat village. The woman is not exactly a blogger, but leads an active life in social networks. Enters into polemics with local deputies, criticizes officials.

We asked a villager to comment on Matvienko’s initiative.

We met Svetlana in the spring. Then the woman frankly shared the problems of village life. I listened and forgot.

But now her story has become relevant. This is a response from a village resident, Valentina Matvienko, explaining why the idea of ​​resettling young people in the countryside may fail.

– I moved to the village from Ulan-Ude in 2017. Dreamed of rural romance. I lived and saw all the pain and bitterness of the village from the outside, – says Svetlana. – I live in Dzhidinsky district. This is the largest district in Buryatia. Livestock Center. From Ulan-Ude to my village 330 km, 4 hours by minibus.

People are packed here. If something happens, one I immediately write on the social network. The number of comments under my posts is minimal. This is the local mentality. It implies tacit consent. People are used to living like this. The villagers do not believe in the best, especially the elderly.

For example, we have had a problem with transport for a long time. People from the villages have nothing to get to the regional center of Petropavlovka. They get on their own. A round-trip trip to the pharmacy costs 300-400 rubles. For the unemployed and pensioners, the amount is significant. But people don’t complain.

I tried to work in a neighboring village, but I could not stand it for a long time due to the fact that there was simply nothing to get to work. If you go there, how will you go back? Standing for hours on a federal highway, waiting for a ride, is an extreme occupation. From our village to the regional center 30-40 km. Private traders want to carry, they want not. These are permanent nerves. Last year, on the federal highway in autumn, I stood for 4 hours to leave Petropavlovka for the village. To tears. And it’s scary to go with stray strangers. So cross yourself and move on. When you live in a city, you don’t think about it. I got on a minibus or tram and went. And there in the evening you begin to worry about how to arrive and on what.

I tried to get through to the deputies in the local Khural. I was told that the problem of transport and roads is not only in our region, it is a problem for the whole of Russia. One deputy stressed that transport maintenance is expensive, it is not profitable, because the driver needs to be paid a salary. With that we said goodbye.

– Youth probably easier in the countryside?

– Young people who are wise, live normally. They have cars, they raise cattle, they live in abundance, they give birth to children. And they find prospects for development, they seem to be helping the state. But the elderly population is having a hard time. Moreover, there are many pensioners and disabled people in the villages.

For example, there are three of us in the family – me, my husband and grandfather without legs and blind. A pensioner without a leg lives in a neighboring house. Can you imagine what a problem it is for him to leave the village? He also orders cars. Happiness when you manage to leave and return without problems.

– If you were a blogger, how would you describe the village?

– Our village is dilapidated houses and expensive firewood. There is an outpatient clinic with one therapist. Narrow specialists only in the administrative center. Shops are private and small. The range, of course, is so-so, plus the prices are high. From my house to the store 1 km on foot, to the post office 2 km. Whether it’s in the city, where everything is within walking distance, and the store has constant discounts.

People in the villages drink a lot. Education as a whole is lame.

After living in the village for a year, I more or less adapted. But in subsequent years, she was in shock … I don’t want to live there from such a mood.

Still not enough money for anything. Our house is not winter, it is made of cold silicate brick. Such buildings are not intended for winter living. But warm houses are a luxury for us. There are two ovens inside. You wake up in the morning, plus eight in the house. Turned on the heater in January. Burned up as much as 2500 rubles. Stopped using. A firewood machine costs 14 thousand. In a month, you can easily stop a truckload of dry firewood. Therefore, we also take raw. Dry wood burns quickly. They’re going to kindling. When they flare up, raw ones are laid in the oven, which burn slowly and gradually give off heat. It turns out more economical. First, we heat one stove, close it, then another. And so every day in winter. One joyless stoker. The meaning of existence in the winter in the village is simply to survive and not freeze.

I remember that in one year from November to April, 7 cars of firewood flew away. Firewood then was 10 thousand. So it’s expensive to live in the countryside. Our disabled grandfather’s pension was recently recalculated, it became 20,000 plus a disability of about 4,000. A disabled neighbor has a pension of about 15-16 thousand. You can’t take a firewood car anymore, only half. When there is no money for firewood, people agree on a loan. The locals tolerate it, they think it should be so.

– Are there any advantages?

– Bonuses of village life – clear air, bright sun, clean water, own meat, nitrate-free garden and live milk. But behind all this is hard peasant labor. With age, you can’t cope with the household. For example, we used to mow hay ourselves, but now we buy it. My husband is sick, my grandfather is disabled, and I have health problems. But I do not despair.

Previously, I had an idea of ​​​​the village from Russian films, romantic and iridescent. But the reality, alas, turned out to be gloomy. The people here are closed, there are enough outcasts, well, the mentality is different. In the city, the people are simpler. And living in an urban environment is more pleasant.