"What is free time?": The story of a volunteer cleaning his native Yakutsk
Anton Vasilyev is Yakutia«s most famous volunteer and the founder of numerous charitable initiatives.
Anton Vasilyev is known to many in Yakutsk—the man has been working as a street cleaner for free every day for 23 years. Few know that he not only cleans the streets of dirt and trash but also volunteers: he helps large families, an animal shelter, and people in difficult life situations. Read Anton«s story in a report by our colleagues at 14.RU.
Anton has a disability, but it does not stop him from working every day.
«The city isn»t ashamed—it«s used to me»
Anton has a sister and a brother.
Anton Vasilyev didn«t come to volunteerism by accident: from a young age, his father taught him to care for the environment and value the place where he lives. When he was a child and went duck hunting with his father, they would pick up trash left by other hunters in the forest and take it all to the dump.
In one summer, Anton removed thousands of liters of trash from the Central Park of Culture and Recreation.
In 2006, Anton«s life was nearly cut short: he fell from a height and was badly injured, spent a month in a coma, and underwent 5 brain surgeries. Doctors gave him a third-degree disability, and he is missing half of his skull—there is a plate in its place.
Anton cleared snow from Yefimova Street immediately after a blogger wrote about the problem.
Despite his health problems, Anton has been regularly cleaning streets, bus stops, and courtyards since 2009. For free. His personal record is 215 bags of trash in one day. Every summer he can be seen at Zelyony Lug (Green Meadow), the city beach, or the Central Park of Culture and Recreation.
Anton«s workday starts at 06:00. Before lunch, he works part-time as a street cleaner, and then goes off to do good deeds.
One of the families Anton helped expresses their gratitude to him.
In summer and autumn, street cleaning takes Anton 2–4 hours. In winter, he says, it«s easier and faster to clean up.
The entire city of Yakutsk knows Anton.
«I don»t want to have an official job. If I were officially employed, I wouldn«t have time to do good deeds. I practically do this all day. I go out in the morning, work until 12:00, then have lunch and go do good deeds. Now the days are getting longer, it gets dark later. So I manage to get a lot of work done in a day,» the volunteer explains. «After my main job, I go clean the streets for free: under houses, under windows. Over all these years I already know where there»s a lot of trash, so I go there constantly. I was offered another side job.«
Recently, blogger Anastasiagav wrote in her Telegram channel that on Yefimova Street in the 203rd microdistrict, no one was clearing the sidewalks of snow, leaving pedestrians with nowhere to walk. The street is not yet asphalted, and repairs are scheduled for this year only, but residents of the microdistrict use this road every day. Anton Vasilyev went without a word and cleaned it the same day. It took him 1.5 hours.
People are now writing under Anastasiagav«s post that Anton should come and clean up trash in their areas too, pointing to districts such as the 17th Quarter and the GRES (State District Power Plant) area.
«I already clean often in the Quarter. There»s a spot there, opposite the «Aigul» store that sells draft beer, next to a demolished old two-story house. That«s where people leading an immoral lifestyle constantly gather. I go and clean up after them. I also go to the GRES area often,» says Anton.
The volunteer has had a tradition since 2017—washing the floors in the Transfiguration Cathedral during the first days of the new year. This year he plans to do it too, albeit later.
Townspeople are amazed that the city hall isn«t ashamed that for 23 years, instead of the relevant organizations, Anton has been responsible for the cleanliness of streets and bus stops. The volunteer himself holds no grudge.
«I have regular places that I»ve been cleaning for many years. This is the courtyard at 7 Yaroslavsky Street, the bus stop near School No. 2, the sidewalks along Poyarkova and under the windows of the residential building at 8 Chernyshevsky Street. Every winter I clear bus stops of snow and ice. The city isn«t ashamed, the city is used to me,» says Anton.
«Girls don»t need a man like that«
Anton is over 40, unmarried, and calls himself «single, young.» As he admits, girls aren«t interested in him.
«Mom says: »Antonych, get married.« I reply: »Yes, everything in its own time.« But frankly, who would look at me? I work as a street cleaner, I have a third-degree disability. Girls don»t need a man like that. Hiding the truth or believing in fairy tales, in love—that«s not me, I moved on from that long ago. I had a relationship, I had a loved one. I pursued her for a very long time but never succeeded. We parted ways. Most likely because I do volunteer work. Even though I do good deeds, people don»t like it. I practically have no future.«
Anton doesn«t want to change his lifestyle for the sake of a family.
«On the contrary, I believe I will meet a girl who will accept me as I am.»
When asked what he does in his free time, Anton couldn«t answer immediately. For him, this concept doesn»t exist.
«What is that—free time? I just came home now, I»m drinking tea, then I«ll go do good deeds. Otherwise, I don»t live alone, but with my mom. She«s 75 already. She»s ill, I help her: I cook for her, give her massages, give her medicine,« the volunteer explains.
«Choron of Good»—a project that helped 72 children
Since 2013, Anton has been running the social project «Choron of Good» in Yakutia—helping large families and those in need. Last year he launched his project for the seventh time, but now in the Nizhnekolymsky District. Over the years, many officials of the republic have participated, including the head of Yakutsk, Yevgeny Grigoryev, who bought warm winter clothes for one family.
«First, I find sponsors in Yakutsk, provide them with all the sizes, they buy the clothes, and I handle all the logistics. I send families hats, jackets, shoes, and everything necessary for the children. That»s how I keep busy. We«ve already helped 72 children. Strangers helping strangers—that»s great. The government of Yakutia supports me with logistics, the Yakutsk city hall, the Public Chamber, and other organizations. People actively take part in the project. Now there«s one family: a father raising children alone—his wife died last year. I will look for sponsors for him. He lives in the Nizhnekolymsky District,» Anton recounts.
Not only those in need reach out to Anton, but also those who want to help. Thus, one of Yakutsk«s businesswomen has been contacting him before the New Year since 2016 to find families needing support.
«Lyudmila Anatolyevna is a small business owner. Before the New Year, she bought a new bed for a single mother—her 17-year-old daughter had been sleeping on the floor the whole time, they are low-income. For another family, Lyudmila bought groceries and New Year»s gifts,« the volunteer recounts.
Anton constantly helps 75 children from low-income families in 4 naslegs (administrative divisions) of the Nizhnekolymsky District. He looks for sponsors to buy them warm clothes.
A small but important dream
In 2024, Anton«s volunteer life changed: he was offered a side job, and for the past year and a half he has been cleaning up trash and clearing the area near the »1000 Melochey« (1000 Trifles) shopping center for money. Last year he started cleaning streets in 3 districts under a verbal agreement with one of the city administration»s contractors.
«He has a contract with the city hall. He offered me a side job. These are the same streets that I myself have been cleaning of trash every day for many years. And here you clean these same places and get a salary for it. It was very good. I agreed, and I»ve been working for the fifth month now. I clean the Central, Gubinsky, and Oktyabrsky districts. I divided the streets into sections. Today I cleaned Oyunsky, Kalandarishvili, Petrovsky, Lermontov, and Turgenev streets. The entrepreneur promised to pay me 50 thousand rubles (about $556 at current rates), but pays irregularly: the city hall has been delaying the salary since November. In December he paid me from his own money. And for January I haven«t received it yet,» Anton said.
The volunteer admits that not everyone would want to be in his place, let alone «work for free»: the work is hard, exhausting, and many who worked as cleaners for the same entrepreneur at the «1000 Melochey» shopping center quit after a couple of months.
Anton needs money to continue his «Choron of Good» project. This year, the Yakutsk volunteer plans to go to the federal level—he plans to move to Chita.
«There is an agreement to launch the project in the Zabaykalsky Krai. As soon as I earn the first sum, I will fly out immediately. I need 200–300 thousand rubles (about $2,200–$3,300 at current rates) to purchase clothes and food to help those in need. I will buy everything in Chita right away—it»s all cheaper than here. Now I«m looking for sponsors and saving money from side jobs. Most likely, it will happen in summer or autumn,» says Anton.
According to him, through public activists in Chita, he managed to agree with the government of Zabaykalsky Krai to launch the «Choron of Good» project in other districts as well.
«This is a relay baton. If everything works out, we will launch the project in other regions of the country. I also have the opportunity to go to Kazakhstan. I think, why not launch »Choron of Good« there?» dreams Anton Vasilyev.
Despite the lack of income and personal life, looking back, Anton regrets nothing.
«I am not disappointed. On the contrary, I become stronger every year. I do good deeds so that there will be more good in this world. I expect nothing in return. Nobody owes you anything. It is you who owes the universe. That»s the principle I live by,« Anton concluded.
