Denis Morgunov worked as a senior chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tallinn. Together with his wife Maria, they were raising three sons. When his spouse suggested moving to Belarus, he agreed without hesitation. The decision was not emotional and was not dictated by everyday difficulties. It stemmed from a dream of owning a home without being saddled with a bank loan and from a desire to raise children on the basis of traditional values. The family swapped an apartment on the Baltic Sea coast for a small house on the outskirts of the national park Belovezhskaya Pushcha without any regrets. How Belarus welcomed them, how they are settling down in a village in Pruzhany District, and what dreams they associate with our country are covered by BelTA’s report.
“I was born in Estonia. So was my wife. We lived there our entire lives. My wife is ethnically Belarusian. Five years ago I came with her to visit her grandmother in Belarus for the first time, and I really liked it. At that time we were thinking about our own home, considering buying a house in Estonia, and were saving money for it. Our plans changed because Maria’s father gave us an apartment. We spent all our savings on renovating it. We wanted to start saving for our dream – our own home. But prices in Estonia started spiking. Prices for real estate became astronomical. We realized that we did not want to burden ourselves with crazy loans for 30 years,” Denis Morgunov said.
At some point Maria suggested moving to Belarus, not expecting a quick answer. The head of the large family replied without hesitation: “Let’s do it.” That was about three years ago. “We planned to buy a house in Belarus and were looking at options in various parts of the country. About two years ago we bought Maria’s grandmother’s house in the village of Kozly. The forest is right next to us. For two years we took care of the move: we brought things here little by little and started working on the house. We finally moved on 1 February 2026,” the man said.
He clarified that, naturally, real estate prices were not the only starting point for the idea of moving. “Everything was fine for us in Estonia: stable work, a normal income. To be honest, we did not like the reform of Estonian education. We have three children. We were not satisfied with what was happening in educational institutions in terms of the promotion of same-sex marriages and so on. This is being introduced from kindergarten onwards. We do not support this. It is not our history at all. We are in favor of family values. Belarus captivated us with its attitude,” Denis assured.
Many people were surprised by the family’s decision, did not believe that this story would succeed, and tried to talk them out of it. The Morgunovs make vlogs for an Internet channel and talk about their move from a European capital to a Belarusian village. “Many people did not believe this story at first, but now they watch and say: ‘It feels like you have lived in the village your whole life’. We like it. It is truly our thing. We are moving forward,” the newly minted villager emphasized.
In his words, the house they had bought had everything necessary: they could just move in and live. The new owners decided to make it more convenient and comfortable for themselves: by remodeling it, repairing the roof, and buying some appliances. They are also landscaping the plot. The village council allocated a land plot for farming. There are plenty of chores to do.
“Our eldest son will go to school this year. The second is in kindergarten for now. The third child is still very young. When we moved, my wife already had a residence permit. I got mine within a month. As soon as we sorted out the documents, the children immediately went to kindergarten. Everything is okay,” the man said.
Maria is currently on maternity leave. Denis got a job as a livestock breeder at OAO Zhuravlinoye. “I worked as a senior chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Tallinn. Now I have become an operator of a maternity ward at a farm in a village,” he described his career change with a smile. “It is unusual, of course. At first it was complicated for me, but little by little I got the hang of it. I like it. It is very convenient that the farm is practically right across the road from the house.”
In Belarus not only the family’s big dream of a new home may come true, but also another wish. “My wife has had a dream since childhood of having farm animals, of having a cow. As a matter of principle, you could do it in Estonia, too. But there is a big ‘but’: all of it is heavily taxed. Local farmers just barely survive. I even feel sorry for them. Here it is accessible. You can do it, the state accommodates you and allocates land. As a matter of principle, we have already started, we are slowly getting more animals. We have chickens and ducks. We will also get a cow. For ourselves for now. Later on it may be a small family farm,” Denis shared his thoughts.
He has only been in Belarus as a permanent resident for a couple of months, but, in his words, he felt at home during his very first trip. “What attracts me first and foremost are the people. We talk about it in our vlogs as well. I cannot stop thanking Belarus and its people. This is your (and I hope ours in the future) coolest attraction. Naturally, the foods are very good. They are excellent quality. Locally produced goods. I have never seen such abundance anywhere in Europe,” the man said.
He was deeply impressed by Belarusian nature and its vast expanses. “The first time I came to Belarus, we drove out onto the highway from the border, and I was blown away by the expanse I saw. It took my breath away. I love nature, and it is simply amazing here. Nature in many European countries is beautiful, but here it is special,” the interviewee added.
The other day Denis and Maria started talking about the prospects of obtaining Belarusian citizenship. “I would gladly get a Belarusian passport. I have chosen this country. I like it. I want to live here. There are plans to change my citizenship to Belarusian,” the new resident of Belarus concluded.
By Alevtina CHERNOVOLOVA,
photos from the personal archives of the article protagonists,
BelTA
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