Sergei Stroitelev

Photographer

stroitelev.visura.co

The Braid

The Braid

Baltyiskaya Kosa (translated from Russian as "Baltic Braid") is a strip of land cut off from the mainland by a shipping channel and divided between Poland and the Russian Kaliningrad region. The formerly German land was annexed by the Soviet Union as a result of the offensive operations during World War II in 1945, and was forcefully populated by Soviet citizens who were not planning to relocate but had to obey the decision of the Soviet Party.

When the USSR collapsed in 1992, this region, which had been active until then, gradually began to fade away. Businesses, farms and factories closed down, and young people started to leave for the big cities in search of work. Those who remained make a living by catching herring and illegally collecting amber on the beach. The elderly people gradually pass away. They saw how troubled times turned into oblivion this land to which they never mentally belonged, but put down roots here, just like a seed puts down roots when the wind carries it to a distant field.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow, the Braid is quiet and fragile. Autumn quietly gives way to Winter. The wind quietly rustles in the empty abandoned hangars of the former German military airfield. Only the Baltic Sea rustles about what its waves have seen.

I visited the Braid for three years in a row. Behind the veil of oblivion I felt a pulse, a certain cyclicality of life, which was very important for me to feel and to capture. The present story shows real provincial Russia, ordinary people and their routine. Through living and working on this small piece of land which represents Russian mentality very well I was trying to understand my homeland and myself better.

The view on the Baltic Sea from...rring, only with a fishing rod.

The view on the Baltic Sea from one of the Braid's pier. The longest pier of the Braid starts from the ruins of the German Western Fort. It turned into ruins before the eyes of the current generation of residents of the Braid. From the pier they also catch herring, only with a fishing rod.

School board inside abandoned house of culture.

Irina Pavlushenko, 84. Came to ... almost never leaves the house.

Irina Pavlushenko, 84. Came to the Braid from the Rostov region among the first settlers. She recalls that the first year was hungry - until the new residents of the Braid sowed wheat and harvested the first crop. Irina was among them. Pavlushenko worked as a cook at the airfield her entire life. Her husband died, and the children left for central Russia. Several years ago, the woman suffered a stroke; since then, she has been unable to speak, but actively gestures and repeats "ko-ko-ko" - the only sounds that the disease left her with. Irina Pavlushenko is the last living settler of the first wave. When asked about the state of the Braid these days, the woman waves her hand in resignation. According to her neighbor, Irina now almost never leaves the house.

Yound fishermen are preparing a... waters are very unpredictable.

Yound fishermen are preparing a boat and equipment to catch herring. They need to check everything 2-3 times as the Baltic waters are very unpredictable.

Young sailors of the boat calle...reaks between catching herring.

Young sailors of the boat called "Fog" drink tea with vodka during breaks between catching herring.

Fishermen are catching herring ...ng up nets takes several hours.

Fishermen are catching herring in the coastal waters. They fish even at -10 and even if there is a wind despite the fact that this is a big risk. They go for it as this is the only way to earn money and feed yourself. Setting up nets takes several hours.

Vladimir Petrov, 77. He came to...atives and memories of flights.

Vladimir Petrov, 77. He came to the Braid as a conscript in 1953 and served in the military aviation for about 20 years. Vladimir asks many questions - he is very suspicious and avoids details: he is afraid of accidentally revealing a military secret. He only says that his life is in the sky. When he retired, he watched others fly, and life went on, but after the airfield closed, "something was torn out of life." His grandchildren grew up and left the Braid. Now Vladimir has only a wall covered with photographs of relatives and memories of flights.

Typical "dancing fores...n strange ways but never break.

Typical "dancing forest" on the Baltic seashore. Under the influence of the wind, tree trunks twist in strange ways but never break.

A shabby wall in the building of an abandoned school.

Tattoos "V" a...re Braid was a restricted area.

Tattoos "V" and "G" (Vladimir Grishin) were made during his military service on the Braid. Grishin lost his fingers due to inexperience: there were not enough repair specialists at the airfield, and the young soldier stood at the machine without knowing safety precautions. The tattoo and this injury are all that Grishin has left as a memento of his service: photography was strictly prohibited here, the entire Braid was a restricted area.

Vladimir Grishin, 86 years old.... permitting, she catches amber.

Vladimir Grishin, 86 years old. A native of the Ukrainian SSR, he was drafted into the army in 1950, served at the Noytief airfield, and stayed on the Braid — he met his future wife here, and then his daughter was born. Vladimir willingly talks about Noytief, the main military facility on the Braid, where he served as a radio operator for 34 years. He says that back then he felt needed — “regulated flights, landed planes.” Grishin watched the airfield fall into disrepair, it was dismantled for scrap metal and bricks. His wife died. Now Vladimir tries not to go outside, so as not to see the devastation. The radio operator’s daughter lives on the Braid — she works in a local store, and on weekends, weather permitting, she catches amber.

Abandoned hangars of the Noytie...nt officers are always on duty.

Abandoned hangars of the Noytief airfield. The airfield was commissioned by the beginning of World War II - in 1939. Despite the fierce battles for the Baltic Braid, in which about 35 thousand Wehrmacht soldiers died, the airfield itself was almost not damaged and since 1947 it was used by the Soviet military. In total, the base had three huge concrete hangars for aircraft (100x30 m) and two metal ones - for other equipment. After the departure of the military, the structures requiring constant maintenance began to sag, the roofs began to leak, and scrap metal collectors began to flock to the hangars. At the same time, all local residents have learned since Soviet times that even touching former military facilities is strictly prohibited, and metal can only be removed from the Braid by ferry, where law enforcement officers are always on duty.

Storm in the Baltic Sea.

A couple of youngsters are spen...lding was gradually dismantled.

A couple of youngsters are spending time on the ruins of the Western Fort, built in 1869. When they started building a military airfield for the Luftwaffe here in 1934, the fort was in excellent condition, so it was used as an administrative building both under the Germans and in Soviet times. Clinker bricks were used in the construction of the fort, which are highly durable, absorb little water, and are less susceptible to damage from temperature changes. In the post-Soviet years, the valuable bricks attracted vandals, and the building was gradually dismantled.

Svetlana Kurlova, 80. Svetlana&...t broke some people.”

Svetlana Kurlova, 80. Svetlana's husband (the woman is holding his photo) was a sailor. He was assigned to the Braid and stayed there for the rest of his life. In 1959, he brought a young bride from Maikop, and her sister later moved here too. Svetlana was not afraid to go to an unfamiliar place - she was promised a place in the medical unit at the Noytief airfield, where she worked from 1959 to 1994. Over time, her husband wanted to return to Maikop, Svetlana recalls, but she replied that she herself did not know where her homeland was. Now it is too late to leave: both her sister and her husband are buried here on the Braid, the woman notes and suddenly begins to cry, remembering a birth that she once attended in the medical unit. She says: a good boy was born, but he burned to death at one and a half years old, when his mother was drunk. It’s scary to remember this now, says Svetlana, because “the resettlement broke some people.”

Sailors from the "Fog&... work to be found on the Braid.

Sailors from the "Fog" boat head to the ship to prepare it for fishing, stock up on fresh water and clean the deck. The "Fog" crew are former military men who served at the Noytief airfield near Baltiysk (Pillau until 1946), which was closed shortly after the collapse of the USSR. Apart from fishing and amber mining, there is no other “manly” work to be found on the Braid.

Fishermen load an anchor onto a...They go out fishing in an hour.

Fishermen load an anchor onto a boat. They go out fishing in an hour.

Caught herring in the hands of a fisherman.

Window in an abandoned residential building at Noytif airfield.

Anna Obukhova, 81. Anna is orig... after the airfield was closed.

Anna Obukhova, 81. Anna is originally from Rostov. She came after her husband, who was sent to serve on the Braid - she "sold everything" and went to an unfamiliar place. At first, she worked as a nurse-housekeeper in a hospital in Baltiysk, and in 1974, she moved to the Braid to live with her husband. On the Braid, she worked in a bakery at the airfield, which the Germans left in excellent condition. The dough was kneaded by hand, Anna recalls, and the bread was so delicious that sometimes orders came from Moscow. Now there are not even ruins left of the bakery - the building was dismantled for bricks after the airfield was closed.

Amber catchers on the shores of...were hanged right on the shore.

Amber catchers on the shores of the Baltic Sea. On the Braid, everyone catch amber - children and old people, men and women. When a storm starts, all the locals grab their nets and literally run to the shore. Unauthorized amber mining in Russia is an administrative offense, but both the police and border guards turn a blind eye to mass collection: otherwise, thousands of people in the Kaliningrad region would have to be fined. Therefore, only “black diggers” who mine amber industrially are seriously prosecuted. When the Braid belonged to the Teutonic Order, the laws were stricter: those caught mining for amber were hanged right on the shore.

A fisherman rests after going out to fish.

The abandoned runway of the Noy... - this is a valuable material.

The abandoned runway of the Noytief airfield. Recently, it has become a favorite of visiting drift enthusiasts, who appreciate its convenience for night races. In addition to drifters, here you can meet hunters for high-strength concrete slabs, which they tear up and take away - this is a valuable material.

"Fog" is one ... moored in the ice at the pier.

"Fog" is one of the few ships that go fishing in the waters of the Braid. The vessel is moored in the ice at the pier.

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Thumbnail of The view on the Baltic Sea from _erring, only with a fishing rod.

Thumbnail of School board inside abandoned house of culture.

Thumbnail of Irina Pavlushenko, 84. Came to t_w almost never leaves the house.

Thumbnail of Yound fishermen are preparing a _c waters are very unpredictable.

Thumbnail of Young sailors of the boat called_breaks between catching herring.

Thumbnail of Fishermen are catching herring i_ing up nets takes several hours.

Thumbnail of Vladimir Petrov, 77. He came to _latives and memories of flights.

Thumbnail of Typical "dancing forest_in strange ways but never break.

Thumbnail of A shabby wall in the building of an abandoned school.

Thumbnail of Tattoos "V" an_ire Braid was a restricted area.

Thumbnail of Vladimir Grishin, 86 years old. _r permitting, she catches amber.

Thumbnail of Abandoned hangars of the Noytief_ent officers are always on duty.

Thumbnail of A couple of youngsters are spend_ilding was gradually dismantled.

Thumbnail of Svetlana Kurlova, 80. Svetlana&a_nt broke some people.”

Thumbnail of Sailors from the "Fog&a_; work to be found on the Braid.

Thumbnail of Fishermen load an anchor onto a _ They go out fishing in an hour.

Thumbnail of Caught herring in the hands of a fisherman.

Thumbnail of Window in an abandoned residential building at Noytif airfield.

Thumbnail of Anna Obukhova, 81. Anna is origi_s after the airfield was closed.

Thumbnail of Amber catchers on the shores of _ were hanged right on the shore.

Thumbnail of A fisherman rests after going out to fish.

Thumbnail of The abandoned runway of the Noyt_y - this is a valuable material.

Thumbnail of "Fog" is one o_s moored in the ice at the pier.

Public Project

The Braid

Copyright Sergei Stroitelev 2025

Updated Mar 2022

The Baltic Spit is a strip of land cut off from the mainland by a shipping channel and divided between Poland and the Russian Kaliningrad region. There is no communication between the two parts of the Spit as there is no crossing point on the border.

A popular seaside resort is located in the Polish part, whereas in the Russian part, after the closure of the military airfield, there were almost no jobs left. Young people leave to work in big cities. Several men here are engaged in fishing or illegal collection of amber, the local labor market can only offer the position of a cashier in the village shop to the women. The main population of the spit are the elderly who are eyewitnessing time that has brought this place into oblivion.

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