These villages are difficult to reach. This is largely why they have retained their traditional Vepsian appearance. Vepsian speech, the vanishing language of a small indigenous people of Russia, can also be heard there.

We visited several settlements near Vinnytsia, the capital of the Vepsian region. Many Vepsian villages have already perished and become deserted. Others have a few permanent residents. But in recent years, signs of revival have appeared.

In 2025, in the village of Ozyora, workers discovered an ancient temple under the cladding of a store. We discuss what will become of it, how modern Vepsians live, who is interested in restoring houses and churches, and whether there is a chance to preserve Vepsian culture.

Read the report on the Bumaga website: https://storage.googleapis.com/paperm...

Saving the Assumption Church of the Ozersky Pogost: https://ano-ogkm.ru/ozerahram

Support the work of Bumaga. We maintain free media thanks to your support: https://papersupport.ru/?utm_source=y...

Timecodes:
0:00 — Beginning
1:31 — Why people return to the Vepsian village
3:32 — History Who are the Vepsians and how are they connected to Rurik?
7:58 AM — Repressions in the Vepsian region
10:36 AM — Ozera — a village where a church dating back to the time of Peter the Great was found
2:46 PM — How the Vepsians live in abandoned villages
7:23 PM — Kitchen. Making kalitki (a traditional dish)
8:47 PM — Why the Vepsian language is also dying out
25:09 — Will there be a revival?