[ Valera ] Cow, stop!
[ Valera ] Come on, leg! Leg!
THIS IS VALERA
THIS IS LYOSHA
[ Valera ] What are you doing?
THIS IS DASHA
[ Valera ] Get away!
THIS IS ARTYOM
THIS IS ANDREY
[ Andrey ] He's suckling, let him.
THIS IS ZHENYA
[ Kristina ]You left some in the corner! There look, rubbish.
THIS IS KOSTYA
BIG SISTER
[ Kristina ]When I was told Mum had died, I said right
away that I wouldn't give the kids away. By law, Child Services
should have taken them because I'm not educated, no
job, no husband... and age was a factor too, I was 19 then.
AND THIS IS KRISTINA
[ Kristina ]You’re not carrying any straw?
[ Kristina ] They know I'm not their Mum but their sister. A nanny.
[ Kristina ] Wait, Dasha, I'll iron it now.
[ VO ]Eight children: 6 brothers and 2 sisters from the Evtushenko family suddenly became orphans.
[ Kristina ] Dad died on October 24, 2016.
[ Kristina ] Mum died on October 20, 2017. Dad had cancer,
and Mum had a blood clot in her leg.
[ Kristina ]I said right away I'd keep the kids.
[ Kristina ] I'd do everything to give them a normal life, to keep them at home, nowhere else.
[ VO ]And as if by a little magic, child services did allow Kristina, the eldest sister, to keep the children in her care.
[ Kristina ] They supported me and gave me a six month trial, now that's over, they're mine!
[ Kristina ] I couldn't do it any other way, give them up. No way!
[ Kristina ] Dasha, go and make your bed!
[ Andrey ] She came and said, 'You won't go to an orphanage'.
[ Kostya ] It's true, we're better off under the same roof with brothers and sisters, than in an orphanage.
[ VO ]To Zhenya, Dasha, Lyosha, Valera, Kostya, and Andrey, Kristina
is both Mum and Dad. Artyom is already over 18 and independent.
[ Artem ]I couldn't imagine us being apart, without parents.
[ VO ]To raise her brothers and younger sister, Kristina dropped out of
college. She used to dream of becoming a pastry chef but instead became a mum.
[ Kristina ] I studied for that whole year.
[ Kristina ] Dad died in October in the year I started, I stayed until May but then quit and went home.
1. DAILY GRIND
[ Kristina ] At 7:30, Lyosha and Dasha go to school.
[ Woman ]1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7…
8, 9, 10.
[ VO ]This family of children follows an adult routine: the youngest go to school each morning
all by themselves in a nearby village; and the oldest attend a vocational school in town.
[ Kristina ] At 8 am, I take Zhenya to kindergarten, then
I go home and wake Kostya so he can start his chores.
[ Kristina ] He feeds the cows and pigs.
[ Kostya ] Why are you so stupid?!
[ Kostya ] Get out!
[ Kostya ] Dumb goat.
[ Kostya ] Get out of here!
[ Kristina ] Then Valera gets up. Valera! Wake up!
[ Kristina ] Come on! Get up! School time! Up, wash and get ready!
[ VO ]Valera gets to sleep a little longer.
[ VO ]He goes to school in his home village, Epolka, as they call it here.
[ Kristina ] When everyone's at school, a normal day begins.
[ VO ]The children run a very adult farm. They have cows, pigs, chickens,
rabbits, three cats, two dogs, and Kuzya and Masha, the hamsters.
2. HECTIC HOMESTEAD
[ Kristina ]Don't you dare scratch me, I'll kill you!
[ Kristina ]Don't scratch me!
[ Kristina ]What a jerk! Here! Come on! Kitty! Here! Let's go!
[ Valera ] Drink, little hamster! Don't you want any? We want to hang them.
[ Valera ] Two hamsters. Like this. So they're a bit higher and the cats can't eat them!
[ Kristina ]Valera, Lyosha, Dasha and Zhenya, all love animals a lot. They'll bring
anything in: cats, dogs, any animal - guinea pigs, rabbits. They'd bring them all home.
[ Valera ]The cat ran in and almost ate Kuzya. I caught the cat by the leg.
[ Valera ]Where are you going? I can't lift you!
[ Kostya ] Gosh! I never even noticed, which one?
[ Valera ]The black one.
[ Kostya ] So, she gave birth.
[ Valera ]She just dragged two more babies from there to there.
[ Valera ]This one's due any day now. Just touch her belly.
[ Kostya ] Yes, any day.
[ Kostya ] Valera, they won't bite you.
[ Valera ]I'll get a stick, just in case.
[ Kristina ]I mostly take care of the house, Kostya, Artyom, Andrey and Valera work on the farm.
[ Kristina ]Valera and Kostya are the main deputies. Well, and the rest.
[ Kostya ] Valera says he's 'Pa'.
[ VO ]Valera is only 11, but they call him Pa for a reason.
[ Kristina ]He was with Dad everywhere. He liked going with him, working with him, watching, taking care.
[ VO ]While their father was alive, he taught the boys everything: milking
cows, chopping wood, mowing, building, fixing, in a word, to work.
[ Kristina ]The calf stood up OK?
[ Valera ]Here, from two teats.
[ Kristina ]Yeah? What did you do with the rest?The calves? The calf ate it?
[ Valera ]Yes. He was getting in the way!
[ Kristina ]Really? But he didn't step on the bucket?
[ Valera ]The calf just threw straw around.
[ Kristina ]Well done then!
[ VO ]Later in the afternoon, the eldest boys, Andrey and Artyom return from vocational school.
[ Artem ]When our parents were here, it was easier, you got home to either Mum or
Dad. They helped you with stuff, they helped with my homework if I got stuck.
[ Artem ]There was a huge difference. Dad taught us to be kind, to help people, he
taught us to chop wood, to cope with everything. So, he taught us country craft.
[ Artem ]We all inherited something from our parents, our character and skills.
[ Valera ]Get going! Go on! Go on!
[ Valera ]Where are you running?!
[ Zulfiya Mukhtabaeva ]Valera's great, if he was the oldest, like Artyom, he'd have been
Kristina's right hand. He knows how many birds they have, how much cattle, who needs
[ ZULFIYA MUKHTABAEVA, NEIGHBOUR ]what and how. It's such a massive help.
[ Valera ] That's how we sieve it.
[ Valera ] Kostya, let's do this: if I'm
at school, you milk her, if I'm…
[ Kostya ] You milked her this morning.
[ Valera ] So, when I go to school, in the morning, you milk her. When I'm back, I do the evening.
[ Valera ] You milk in the morning, me in the evening.
[ VO ]When Kristina’s story hit the Internet, people from across the
country offered support all asking the same question: 'How can we help?'
[ Kristina ] Strangers from all over the country, some sent us money,
kids' clothes, some people sent toys or school things.
[ Kristina ] Then the nearby mining plant… they sent workers who plastered the ceiling and
walls, hung wallpaper, laid floors. They insulated our house to make it warm.
3. THE HOUSE
[ Zhanna Zubkova ]A big thank you to everyone who helped, who actually took part.
[ ZHANNA ZUBKOVA, NEIGHBOUR, CHIEF LIBRARIAN ]I'm so glad they helped
renovate the house. If you'd seen it. You saw it? It was, awful!
[ Kristina ] Some of the stuff I paid for, then there was the money people sent us, I spent that on home renovation.
[ Kristina ] I mean, I set it up so they had what they needed. A workspace, somewhere to
sleep, they have it all. So, when the inspectors check on us, they have it all.
[ VO ]Every once in a while, officials visit the farm to make sure that Kristina can still handle being a foster Mum.
[ Woman ]What did you eat today?
[ Kristina ] We had buckwheat. In the morning.
[ Woman ]You have the summer clothes you need?
[ Kristina ] Yes, well, we have shorts and t-shirts, we're buying warmer jackets and shoes now.
[ Woman ]You're OK for money? Yes.
[ Woman ]How about a holiday this year? I'm not sure yet.
[ Woman ]A summer camp again? Yeah, a summer camp but I've planned
in July, when they're back from camp, to go to Chelyabinsk.
[ Woman ]Well, you might send them to a health retreat or camp, look at this
list. Let's look around? No other problems? No! It's all fine.
[ Woman ]How about you? You could do nails or hair?
[ Kristina ] I'm too busy with the garden now.
[ Kristina ] No time yet, right? No, I haven't had time, I must tend the garden, I bought seeds that I need to sow.
[ Woman ]Yes, you must do that.
[ Kristina ] Mostly, it's fine, they go round checking linen, work spaces,
make sure it's OK. They may check the kitchen, see what's missing.
[ Kristina ] That's it, it's OK. They may ask about the kids at school, what
they do at home. What they do at the weekend, if they went anywhere.
[ Woman ]Kristina, we won't be any more bother.
[ Woman ]Bye.
[ Kristina ] I'll see you out.
[ Kristina ]I'm given money for the kids, as their guardian, it's like it's my job.
[ Kristina ]Apart from that, the kids are entitled to money for being orphans, for not having a mum nor dad.
[ VERA POPOVA, AUNT ]Well, Zhenya calls her Mum at times, sometimes he slips and calls her Mum.
[ NADEZHDA KARELINA, NEIGHBOUR ]For her to get married… who would she give them to? If a husband came to the house,
would he want them? True, isn't it? They'd argue if a guy interfered with the family. I feel very sorry for her.
4. SUITORS
[ Kristina ]I get some online messages, I still get friend requests.
[ Kristina ]Some guys send me requests, 'I'd like to meet you, I saw
you on TV or the Internet'. Damn, I just won't do online
dating. I don't think that's how relationships should be.
[ VERA POPOVA, AUNT ]No, she won't get married, so she says until she's raised Zhenya... she won't marry.
[ Artem ]Look, your boyfriend is going to be on now.
[ Voice ]Kristina has a boyfriend now.
[ Voice ]Now she dreams of her own big family.
[ Kristina ]What?! That's ridiculous! I said nothing like that! I said I wouldn't marry until I'm 35.
[ Kristina ]Some of them really wanted to visit, 'I'm coming! Mum likes you… Dad
likes you!' I say, 'I don't know you!' 'Don't visit,' I say, 'no way!'
5. THE VILLAGE
[ VO ]Elizavetopolka village in Chelyabinsk region was founded by Cossacks in 1842.
[ Man ]Let's put a bench here? [ Woman ]Of course.
[ Man ]Next time, it'll go there.
[ VO ]The village did have a church, which was destroyed, but it has
two wooden school buildings. Locals recently restored the church that
now stands next to a memorial to the Great Patriotic war. The monument
is scrupulously cared for and today is voluntary clean-up day.
[ VO ]The Evtushenkos are having a clean-up day too. They need to tidy the yard.
That's rubbish left from renovating, but we plan to take it to the dump, to clear all of the rubbish completely.
Zhenya, get over here quickly!
[ VO ]Today there’s a village meeting to elect a herdsman. It’s no joking matter! Without one the livestock could be
stolen. The only candidate, Seryozha, has pulled out saying he has no horse, and you can’t be a herdsman without a horse.
[ Chairman ]How about a herdsman for the cows? We don't have one yet. [ Woman ]Nightmare!
[ Woman ]I can't do it, why do you laugh? [ Man ]Any suggestions? [ Woman ]Find a herdsman, I
guess. [ Woman ]It's hard, I did it for four days. [ Woman ]Of course, it'll cost, he'd say
500 roubles a head, I guess. [ Woman ]Find transport. [ Woman ]A horse, he needs a horse!
[ Woman ]Right, and? [ Man ]Anything else to say? [ Woman ]Nothing! [ Man ]Go find a
herder! [ Woman ]Why graze yours in the village? [ Man ]What field?! [ Woman ]You had a
place. [ Man ]Yeah! Right! [ Man ]No, we need one of us! [ Chairman ]Yes, a stranger
may disappear with the cows. [ Woman ]Yes, yes. [ Woman ]And we'd lose our cattle.
[ VO ]That very night, a cow escaped from the Evtushenkos. That’s what happens when there is no village herdsman!
[ Kostya ] Let's get jobs from tomorrow! [ Andrey ]So, go and get one! [ Kostya ] We'll work as herdsmen.
[ Artem ]Kostya, you're the only one here not working. [ Kostya ] I work
at home, see how hard? [ Artem ]I don’t. [ Kostya ] See how strong I got?
[ VO ]While the older boys argue about who will be a herdsman, Valera goes looking for the runaway cow.
[ Valera ] The bull ran away.
[ Valera ] Now a cow has. Maybe some bulls lured her away somewhere.
[ Valera ] As I spread the feed, I noticed one was missing. We have five…
big ones... and two small.
[ VO ]After spending an hour looking for the cow all around the village, Valera hears that it came back ages ago.
[ Kristina ] Listen! This cow. This one needs to be locked up.
[ Valera ] Where did you find her?
[ Kostya ] She was down there by the river, I went over and just saw her. I just led her home. What a bunch of losers!
[ VO ]The next morning the children learned that they’ve lost one of their two hamsters.
[ Lyosha ]We have only one hamster now!
[ Lyosha ]The cats ate the other one.
[ Kristina ] He ran off somewhere. [ Lyosha ]Either he was eaten or not, that's it!
6. BIRTHDAY
[ Kristina ] Tomorrow is my sister's birthday, I want to give her a surprise
and make the other kids happy. My brothers and I are buying her a budgie.
[ VO ]So that Kristina and Valera can buy Dasha a budgie, they go to the district capital Kartaly, which is an hour away.
[ VO ]The older brothers are already waiting and all without Dasha knowing a thing about it.
[ VO ]The search begins but finding exotic birds in a small town isn’t as easy as they thought.
[ Kristina ] First, we went to a pet shop but they didn't have
any budgies. We went to a second, and then we found some.
[ Kristina ] And the yellow one.
[ Kristina ] We'll send the gift to our neighbour, my friend.
[ Kristina ] Then in the morning, she'll get them when she wakes up.
[ Kristina ] I can't see how to do it. Surprise!
[ Kristina ] I blew it up too far.
[ VO ]The younger one pretends to be asleep. As soon as Dasha falls asleep, they gather
to blow up balloons. The want tomorrow to be a day full of surprises for Dasha.
[ Kristina ] Let some air out! A little.
[ Kristina ] Zhenya, don’t touch!
[ Kristina ] Zhenya, enough, go to bed! In a moment!
[ Kristina ] Enough! Valera! Bed! Just a moment!
[ Kristina ] Valera, no moments!
[ Kristina ] Zhenya, here.
[ Kristina ] When Dasha's washed, she'll come in and
you give it to her. Come on!
[ Kristina ] Dasha. [ Dasha ]What?
[ Kristina ] Happy birthday to you! This is for you. Do you like it?
[ Dasha ]Yes! Yeah? So, go and pet them, have a look.
[ Kristina ] You'll be feeding and watering them from now on. Right?
[ Woman ]Let's sing happy birthday. Happy
birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!
[ Kristina ] Lyosha, don't grab salad with your hands! What are forks for?!
[ Artem ]Dasha, happy birthday to you! Be happy and lucky in love!
[ Artem ]May the suitors chase you in swarms! And good grades too.
[ Priest ]St Nicholas, pray to God for us All the saints,
please pray for us All the saints, please pray for us
[ Priest ]In the name of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Ghost Now, and forever and ever. Amen.
[ Kristina ]I have no favourites, they're all equal.
[ Kristina ]First, they need to finish school, they'll get an education
and find jobs. I'll help them, and they'll help me.
[ Kristina ]I can't say when I'll start to think about myself, about my plans. I
don't know what I'll do because I can't know what the near future holds.
[ Kristina ]I can't even say...
[ Kristina ]It's… what will be will be!
[ Valera ]The hamsters… the cat ate the second one today, she opened the cage and ate him.