"As it happened, I was born in Novgorod but lived there for less than two years and never went back to that city," says Yekaterina. "I spent my pre-school childhood in Germany, and my school years and the first decade of my adult life in Buryatia, with breaks in Kazakhstan."
For someone from a family of career soldiers going back generations, being rooted in one place is out of the question in principle.
"There are a few points on the map where my ancestors lived (and even within one generation those points are thousands of kilometres apart), there are cities where I spent my childhood — but all that's left of them is personal memories, not always happy ones, and no family history. From 2006 to 2014 inclusive I lived in Irkutsk, but almost at once I stopped seeing it as the 'final point', the city where I would spend the rest of my life. Living there was more a simple coincidence of circumstances…"
The decision to move had always been lurking somewhere in Katya's mind: she had dreamed of leaving Siberia ever since she was brought there at the age of seven. Over the years she tried out various options, but one way or another none of them worked. Kaliningrad came into view by chance, as an example of a city where housing was more affordable than in Irkutsk (a change of home is always one of the most pressing issues for people who have decided to move).
Then came the realisation that the Kaliningrad Region preserves a part of Germany, which for Yekaterina had always been the ideal place to live.
Besides, she remembered that Kaliningrad had a connection with her family history: Katya's grandmother and grandfather had taken part in the storming of Königsberg, and it was there that they met and married. Finding a city in which they could feel part of history had always been the Sokoltsevs' dream.
What they wanted to change above all was the climate, and in general Asia for Europe. Apart from the Kaliningrad Region, no other options were seriously considered. For the couple, moving from Irkutsk to another city in Siberia or Central Russia felt like swapping one thing for another just the same; they were not ready to emigrate, and conquering Moscow at 40 seemed too late and "unappetising".
"Katya, tell me please, how did you first get to know Kaliningrad? What struck you first?"
"My first look was at a photo," my interviewee laughs. "The Fishing Village. When I decided that one way or another I would go to Kaliningrad, I put that photo on my monitor and every day thought that one day I'd be there. Emotionally, that was probably the most vivid experience of 'getting to know' the city… To come to a place you've been looking at in a photo for a year, to see it for real…"
"Which places in Kaliningrad do you like most now?"
" I really love Prospekt Mira. Just the place itself — I go there and I feel cosy. I'm absolutely delighted with the zoo, both the animals and simply the park, the trees... I love our ponds.
At first I preferred the Upper Pond because it was so well landscaped, and I was even upset that the Lower Pond hadn't been redeveloped, but then I understood its charm and self-sufficiency just as it is now.
Now, on the contrary, I think: God forbid they redevelop it and ruin everything… Though the paths could do with renewing, and the banks with clearing, but the trees! If only they save the trees! We've travelled very little around the region so far. When we had the time, we didn't have a car. When we bought a car, we ran out of time. But I hope we still have lots of discoveries ahead, after all we've only lived here a year! For me it means a great deal to be able simply to get on a bus and an hour later arrive in Svetlogorsk, our favourite town for family outings."
Katya and Volodya and their two girls didn't have to adapt to their new place. In their minds they had been here long before the move. Besides, things fell into place so naturally that they had practically no problems to solve. The sale of the Irkutsk flat, though not without some frayed nerves, went through very quickly. And in Kaliningrad friends helped them rent a flat remotely. Remarkably, these friends had also only recently moved to Kaliningrad and had got to know Katya and Volodya online… So straight from the airport the Sokoltsevs went "home". They bought their own place two weeks later: just the kind they wanted, and just where they wanted it.
For most of their first year in Kaliningrad, Katya and Vladimir worked remotely. During this period their priority was settling in and getting to know their new place. Then they needed a steady source of income, and both of them took jobs.
" There's no question of a career for now," says Yekaterina. "It's just a job, just a place to earn money. In any case, career as such (that is, reaching any heights, a management position and so on) isn't relevant to me at all. As soon as the financial issues are settled, and that moment ought to come, I plan to go back to freelancing and devote myself to what I love, the field in which I'm already an expert and want to keep growing…"
" Katya, what exactly do you like about Kaliningrad? You have a 'fresh look' — will you share it?"
" What I like about Kaliningrad is… EVERYTHING! The first thing that drives everyone who comes from Irkutsk 'crazy' (us included) is the abundance of cheap and tasty food. Even taking the exchange rate into account, food in Kaliningrad is very cheap compared with Irkutsk, and as for quality, that goes without saying. A friend of mine who came to visit me recently said, walking through the local market: 'Have I landed in gastronomic paradise?!' And I agree with her! Here even plain potatoes melt in your mouth. Not to mention the freshest fish or apples straight from the tree! After tasting a piece of pumpkin, my younger daughter asked: 'Is this mango?' And the bread! Never in our lives have we bought and eaten so much delicious bread…
Of course, we like the abundance of greenery and the clean air. The sea! We like the intimacy and cosiness.
"The locals I've got to know over this year are amazed at how well I've come to know the city in such a short time. But it's tiny, I've already covered two-thirds of it on foot. Being able to walk anywhere is simply a miracle and a joy! I really like the roads, and the pace at which they are built and repaired. Before our eyes, in less than a year, they raised 9 April Street out of total ruin and built the roundabout on Vasilevsky Square — at the same time! In Irkutsk one such project would have lasted about five years. I'm wildly impressed by the drive not just to build something but to landscape it straight away! When we saw that while repairing a street the builders had sown grass on the verges and planted trees, our jaws hit the floor! I like the effort to find a compromise in architecture between history and modernity, the desire to build new houses and restore old ones so that they recall the historic look of the city. Of course, that's not a general rule — but where they've managed it, the result is very pleasing! Finally, I like that the winter here is fairly mild! We're terribly tired of the Irkutsk cold and the endless winter…
My husband and I also really like the way Kaliningraders treat newcomers: their readiness to help, to give advice, and in general how warm-hearted and good-natured people are.
"Officials deserve a special word. I've never seen such calm, friendly officials, so ready to sort out my questions, anywhere! Register your residence? Please do. Split a utility account? By all means. Confirm an insurance policy? With pleasure. Going to the passport office used to be a serious ordeal and a source of stress for me. Queues of nervous, worn-out people, nasty women behind the desks. Now they know me by sight: 'Ah, hello, it's you! A certificate of family composition? Here you are. How are your daughters?..' Getting my elder daughter into school and the younger one into kindergarten was no problem either, though I was terribly worried about it, since we arrived in the middle of the school year and at first we didn't even have a residence registration! Nevertheless, Sasha started at a general school right after the New Year holidays, and from September also transferred into a music school, and Anya got a kindergarten place this autumn."
"And is there anything you don't like about Kaliningrad? In general or compared with Irkutsk…"
"There was something like that, yes... Ah, here you can rarely buy the Pripravych seasonings I got used to in Irkutsk, or my usual brand of pasta, and Chinese daikon costs more than tangerines in winter! But those are such trifles… There's nothing else from Irkutsk that I miss here.
Of course, I don't like the state that a large number of historic buildings are in. Restoration is going on in places, but I wish it were on a bigger scale and faster.
If this beauty disappears for good, it can never be restored."
"Tell me please, did the move live up to your and your husband's expectations? Do you consider Kaliningrad your home for good?"
"Yes, our expectations were met. As for the final point — it's hard to say yet. One thing is clear to me: I can picture myself in this city as a grey-haired old lady walking arm in arm with my husband along the bank of the pond. Until now I couldn't do that anywhere else. Whether it comes true — time will tell. I don't like planning too far ahead. But today I'm at home."
Translated from Russian with the help of AI (Claude, Anthropic), October 2026.
