The Last Residents: A Family’s Struggle to Stay in an Abandoned Northern Village

In North Kazakhstan’s Kamyshlovo, the state plans to dissolve the village—yet one family refuses to leave.

They have already received warnings from local officials that electricity and other utilities may soon be cut off.

The Akimat has offered assistance with relocation and financial compensation, but is not forcing them to move. The family says they won’t abandon their home and are prepared to stay even without state support, Orda.kz reports, citing Astana TV.

Sergey and Valentina Ivanov, together with their three sons, have lived here for more than 50 years. What was once a bustling state-farm settlement with a school, shops, and a community center is now deserted.

They left. Those who left are long gone. They wanted to get us out of here. My kids asked, ‘Where should we go?’ And we’re not upset that the roads won’t be cleared in winter. They remove all the snow from here. And Seryozha knows how to drive. I always tell them, ‘Get yourself a dog and go,’Valentina says 

The Ivanovs run a sizeable homestead: over 260 horses, cows, sheep, and a tractor. They draw water from a nearby reservoir; cell service and the internet still work, and they drive to the district center for groceries.

Their biggest fear is losing electricity. 

Local officials have delivered notice: Kamyshlovo will be added to the neighboring village of Konyukhovo, and power and road maintenance may be cut. The Akimat offers relocation assistance — about 58,000 tenge (15 MCI) per family member and rental housing elsewhere — but isn’t forcing them out.

The Akimat came and gave us all the documents stating that the village would be abolished and added to Konyukhovo. They said electricity would be cut off and the road would no longer be cleared. It was last year that they cleared it. The road is fine, as long as the electricity stays on. We don’t need anything else. If we’re able to move, we will. If not, we’ll stay. If we stay, we’ll have to buy a snowmobile since there’ll be no other way to get out. That’s how we’ll live, Sergey Ivanov shared. 

According to official data, 45 villages were abolished in the North Kazakhstan region in 2024. Seven of them disappeared completely, while another 38, including Kamyshlovo, were annexed to nearby villages.

These settlements are now officially considered streets. Authorities claim that state services will continue to be provided.

Nothing changes for these villages. The state continues to fulfill its responsibilities, including electricity, roads, and postal services. Financial support is also available for those who agree to relocate to a more promising village: 15 MCI, or about 58,000 tenge per family member. In addition, the district Akimat is required to provide rental housing for families who move,explained Timur Abdresh, press secretary to the Akim of the North Kazakhstan region.  

Since independence, a total of 160 villages in the region have been abolished. In the future, another 109 settlements may face the same fate.

Original Author: Artem Volkov