Pustosel

Pustosel lies on the Oster River west of Roslavl, among the forests and fields of the Smolensk region. The Oster flows westward toward the Sozh, part of the Dnieper basin. Its valley runs through country once crossed by routes between Smolensk, Roslavl and the lands farther west. The village's name evokes a deserted settlement, a common element in the place names of this wooded borderland.