Gospel Expedition

We are in Nizhneudinsk, a town in the Irkutsk region. 200 km of federal highway М53 are behind us, with 40 km of them traveled over gravel. Some parts of the road (or lack of one) demanded great efforts from our side. Upon arrival at the town, we were met by journalists from the local TV station who told us that Nizhneudinsk was no longer a town, but is now a village. The town lost its status in 2006 as well as 300 million rubles from its budget. Limited financing will create new social problems. Nizhneudinsk is not alone in disappearing from the map of Russia. During the last 15 years, 11,000 villages and 290 towns disappeared in Siberia. The reasons why the town lost its status are not known to its inhabitants. [Continue reading Difficult Roads, Wonderful Ministry …]