Here the fence cuts right through the village, separating Pyatskuny on the Belarus side from its Lithuanian half, Norviliskes. Villagers are cut off from the neighbours, the parish church and the cemetery, just a few steps but a whole world away.
People living across the fence can travel visa-free throughout Europe and work there. Those who stay in Norviliskes are paid by the EU to farm their land, and have money to fix up their homes and buy new clothes.
Those on the Belarusian side have little choice but to work on the local collective farm, and they depend on their gardens for food.
Image: A store clerk Tereza Turkevich works in the Belarusian village of Pyatskuny, on the border between Belarus and Lithuania on Friday, May 2, 2008. Turkevich, says villagers are often unable to pay for their groceries and she gives them food on credit.
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