Just off the coast of the Russian city of Vladivostok there's a forgotten island. For much of its population of 5,000, it feels like the mainland is oceans away. Pacific winds can be unpredictable and sometimes no one can leave the island for days.

During the Soviet years Russky Island was a closed military territory, and those who've moved here since the island was opened often find themselves stranded just nine miles from a major city. 

“It is hard for residents of the island to get a job in Vladivostok, because the bad weather always delays them,” said Vitaly Kozak, head of administration of Russky Island.

Residents can be cut off for weeks at a time but their first concern is not the lack of food and water but their children. There’s not a single hospital on the island qualified to deal with serious emergencies. Moreover, travelling by boat can take at least 40 minutes even on a good day, but it doesn’t run at night and sometimes there's no service at all.

People here also say no one pays attention to their needs, even quite basic ones, like running water.

The island's residents are banking on Vladivostok's hosting of the 2012 Asian-Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit leading to some improvements. For a start, the government will invest billions of dollars into construction projects for the APEC summit, including a bridge between Russky Island and Vladivostok.

“If there was a bridge, we would be able to go to the mainland on foot. We used to go to the mainland on ice but then they started to break the ice and now we are separated,” said Tatyana Pavlova, a local.

But not everyone is keen on the link, as some of the locals are afraid the island will rapidly become a tourist hotspot. “We are afraid of breaking the balance between the sea, nature and people. The air and the sea are very clean here. We don't want to lose it,” Vitaly Kozak said.

Despite different opinions, the bridge will ensure at least one more travel option between Russky Island and the mainland.  The new connection might help those who live on the island find better jobs and a better way of life, not only for them but for future generations of Russky Island and give a choice to those who wish to leave.