Elderly Russian couple who are the ONLY residents of an abandoned village lift the lid on their isolated life with only animals for company – and reveal how living so remote has made their 36-year marriage stronger than ever

A fascinating documentary highlights an elderly Russian couple living alone in an abandoned village, with animals as their only companions.

In the short film uploaded to YouTube by Patruschvesthe unnamed man and woman, aged 75 and 82 respectively, welcome viewers to their mansion located in a remote western area known as Bashkortostan.

As she wanders through the unkempt fields, the lady explains that all the residents have died “or have left our beautiful village” and that she and her husband are now the only residents.

A number of animals keep them company, with the most recent addition being a cow named Daughter.

The man explains that he got the heifer for his wife because she “can’t live without milk” and he “always supports her.”

But he says later in the short film that he is not a fan of Daughter, because she is “too shy” and would like to get rid of her.

He also got some chicks for his wife and at one point in the film you see the fluffy yellow birds running around in their dimly lit kitchen.

A cat, Some pigs and a rooster are among the other animals featured in the film.

The lady says with a big smile on her face: ‘I can’t live without animals. They give me energy!’

Together with animals, the woman says that nature gives her comfort.

With her whole family gone, she says she likes to hug a birch tree near the house “instead of my brothers.”

She explains that her brother Nikolay planted the tree “many years ago.”

The woman says that some people visit the area in the summer, but “we are alone here for most of the year.”

Apparently he once had three houses in the village, but ‘now everything is gone.’

‘My brothers died, they had no children, no one. All houses in a village are demolished,” she continues.

Drone footage of the abandoned village shows it is surrounded by farmland and no tarred roads are visible.

Despite the isolated circumstances, the retiree says she loves living in the countryside and “hates” the city.

“Even though I can walk, I don’t want to leave this place,” she affirms.

It’s unclear what they’ll do later in life, but they reveal they do have an apartment in the city if necessary.

The couple, who have been married for 36 years, still seem very active and in one scene the man performs a dance, much to his wife’s amusement.

He describes their typical daily routine of getting up at five in the morning and going outside to chop wood for the fire in their house.

When he returns, his wife ‘lights the fire in the stove’.

Since there is no tap water, he also has to go outside and get some from the well for cooking, cleaning and washing.

Other chores around the house include mowing hay and caring for the animals.

When asked if she feels unsafe living in a remote place, the woman says ‘no’.

She explains: ‘We are not afraid to live here. WWe have dogs to protect us from wild animals.

‘And we have no money, [so] wHow is he supposed to rob or kill us?’

To date, the short film has been viewed more than 2,000 times, with many viewers applauding the couple for maintaining a simple way of life.

One commenter said: ‘I love this couple! They are wonderful, they love each other and that’s how they overcome everything, even loneliness.

“They have everything they need to live even if they could leave there. They are to be admired.’

Another viewer mused: ‘That’s living in heaven, surrounded by all those beautiful animals. What a beautiful couple.’