Local community

Four residents of the town of Pechory were interviewed as experts: Deputy Head of Pechory district administration, Deputy Head of Pechory district administration for social issues, Head of the Pechory Culture Club and a guide from this club.

The expert interviews produced a number of viewpoints on the impact of the Kunichina Gora checkpoint on the town of Pechory. The experts interviewed may be divided into two groups by their attachment to the municipal authority. Group one are representatives of the executive authorities of Pechory district, and group two are regular townsfolk. Members of the different groups perceive the checkpoint differently. Such differences are obviously conditioned by the extent of the expert’s involvement whatsoever in the activities connected to the checkpoint.

The regular townsfolk often recall the soviet times, when there was no border: “We had it as one, and there was no division – be it Estonia, its closest parts, or our district – it all was one. We went to those forests to pick mushrooms and berries, or for recreation – like go swinging. We went bathing there too, because they have spring-water there, and it’s cold; here all water is warm, so we seasoned our kids there”.

One of the experts, the one who works at the monastery as a guide and possesses broad social capital in the local community, in her interview demonstrated a parasitical approach to solving her own problems connected to the crossing point. She is accustomed to having no dividing lines whatsoever; any complication when traveling to her relatives abroad she takes as a problem without trying to solve it. For example, one of the problems is the impossibility to cross the border with the international passport that has expired. Another problem is the impossibility, in her words, for her sixteen-year old son to cross the border without her. Apparently, she has not accessed the information on the opportunity to issue a power of attorney for her son.

Indeed, an opinion of just one expert may not serve representative assessment of the societal status, yet it does reflect certain attitudes with some of Pechory residents.

The representatives of the authorities, in contrast to the regular citizens, perceive the newly formed state border and the checkpoint as something inevitable and as of today necessary for the society and the state. Therefore, their perception of the border, and approach to cooperation with the staff of the Kunichina Gora checkpoint are more positive.

The Kunichina Gora checkpoint, according to the experts, impacts the town of Pechory both positively and negatively. The main positive aspect in the field of infrastructure is the renovation of the town’s communications. “It’s the new communications; in the town’s center a large part of them has been replaced. Sewage and water supply, these engineering networks have been replaced. They (the checkpoint builders) placed pipelines from the town’s boilers to the Kunichina Gora checkpoint passing near the residential areas, so these buildings got their new communications”. Alongside, several five-storied buildings were constructed in Pechory.

Demographically, the checkpoint also produced positive effects. Upon the opening of the checkpoint, people from various regions came to Pechory for permanent residence. Economically, the town gained a considerable amount of new jobs.

Among the negative aspects are the issues of the town’s infrastructure use. Once the checkpoint appeared, the transit traffic rocketed. There is a bypass road for it, but a significant part of the traffic flows through the town, which leads to aggravate the status of road surfaces in Pechory. Besides, there is a toll road, but no revenues from it come to the town’s budget.

Complex and multifaceted is the issue of neighbor relations with Estonia, where the level of economic development is significantly higher than in Pechory district. Many district residents have an opportunity to frequent Estonia, as they have relatives beyond the border, and it results in simplifications when obtaining visa. In the end of each year, the Pechory district administration compiles the lists of residents who have their family members residing or burial sites of their relatives located across the border. About one and a half thousand applications in Pechory district are filed in to obtain visas in the simplified mode.

Regular visits of Pechory residents to Estonia enable them to compare the living standards of the two territories. In most cases the odds are strongly against the Russian side. Indeed, such situation leads to tensions in Pechory district.

Besides, many residents orient towards obtaining work in Estonia: the number of enterprises in neighboring Rapina municipality is higher, as is the salary level, and the social bonus package is way more interesting. These factors force Pechory residents seek jobs in Estonia; moreover, Estonian enterprises themselves publish job announcements in Pechory press. The outflow of workforce leads to problems at the enterprises on the Russian side of the border. On the other hand, the Pechory resident who works in Estonia spends his wages at home, thus raising the living standards of his/her family.

Another important consequence to Pechory having the checkpoint in its area is the practice of profiteering in prices for the consumer goods in the Russian and Estonian markets. Most of the profiteers are pensioners obtaining visas via the simplified mode. “It’s mainly pensioners; they get two bottles of vodka and two cigarette blocks into their bag, like every day. I have this acquaintance; she spends 35 – 40 minutes one way, an hour maximum, and they make 70 – 80 roubles per trip.”

A few years ago, such profiteering used to be more frequent. Now, due to the growth of prices in Russia, this practice ceased to be so profitable as to attract many people.

The checkpoint itself, as a large organization, impacts the local community that is hosting it. According to the experts, the checkpoint takes part in all large town festivals and events. “They [customs officers and border guards] are great; they participate in everything – even in amateur festivals. Say, this year we held this ‘Soldier’s Camp’ on the Town’s Day. The first day is the Memorial Day commemorated to the liberation of Pechory. So we held this Soldier’s Camp together with the customs and the border guards. And they sang the songs of the war times for the veterans. This was interesting for the veterans. It was interesting for World War soldiers to talk to young soldiers. Bridging the gap, common interests – it really went smoothly, and people liked it.”

On the whole, the effect of the Kunichina Gora checkpoint on the town of Pechory is rather positive. It is linked to the rising number of functions, which started to be implemented in the town and the district, once the checkpoint was opened. The checkpoint required the improvement of the territorial infrastructure, created new jobs, and attracted people from other regions. The negative effects of the checkpoint are also mainly in the field of infrastructure. Traffic load on local roads grew with the opening of the checkpoint.

As any large organization, the checkpoint bears social responsibility in the face of the local community and takes part in social life.

The Kunichina Gora checkpoint is one of the largest organizations in Pechory district and in fact may become Pechory’s township-forming enterprise, whose development and status would be the main factors for the living standards of the local residents.