In Russia’s Far East, A Frayed Link To Moscow
Written by ADMIN Saturday, 21 January 2012 12:54
by David Greene
Compared to many of the dynamic economies in Asia, development is Russia’s Far East is limited. Here, men wait for a ferry to take them to Russky Island just off Vladivostok, on Russia’s Pacific Coast. In the background, a bridge to the island is being built.
January 13, 2012
After a train journey of nearly 6,000 miles from Moscow, the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok can feel like a different country. The people and the language are still Russian, but the strong Asian influence is undeniable. And many residents say the bond to the rest of Russia has been growing weaker, while the ties to Asia have been growing stronger since the Soviet breakup two decades ago. NPR’s David Greene has this report as he wraps up his journey on the Trans-Siberian railway.
The last of three stories
“Russia, where are you going?” The question was posed nearly two centuries ago by novelist Nikolai Gogol.
As Asia Rises and Europe Declines, Russia Invests Its Hopes in Its Far East
Written by ADMIN Wednesday, 2 November 2011 11:29
Vladivostok, a Pacific port city long in decline, is being revitalized by Moscow. But the city’s slow integration with China, Japan, and South Korea is clashing with its long-Slavic identity. Can a city be both European and Asian?
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin listens to explanations as he looks at a scale model of the construction project at Russky Island in Russia’s Pacific port of Vladivostok. Putin was visiting to inspect the building of resorts, dinner and entertainment facilities, on Russky Island, the site of the 2012 APEC summit, along with checking the renovation and upgrading of Vladivostok International Airport.
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia — At its eastern fringe, 4,000 miles from Moscow, Russia is building a bridge to nowhere. Two giant pairs of concrete support pylons tower over the glassy waters of the Eastern Bosphorus strait, the first stage of a project that will link the port city of Vladivostok to Russky Island. The scrub-covered island is mostly empty, home to just a few thousand grizzled residents and a collection of moldering military barracks. Basic infrastructure — sewers, roads, electricity — is largely non-existent.
Upon completion, Russian state media are ever keen to point out, the Russky Island Bridge will be the longest cable-stayed suspension bridge in the world, spanning 1,104 meters. On the island itself, there are plans to build hotels, a university campus, and facilities for hosting next year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
MoreCorruption hobbles Russia’s Far East
Written by ADMIN Friday, 23 September 2011 05:36
Moscow is looking to Russia’s Far East as a region poised for better times, and a building boom aims to make Vladivostok an investment hub. But young residents are still leaving the city in droves.
Vladivostok, Russia
Mikhail Gorbachev once said that Russia’s Far East had a “glorious future,” describing it as a “land of colossal natural riches, huge social and economic potential, and a great international prospect.”
A quarter century after Mr. Gorbachev boldly predicted prosperity for Vladivostok, a city 5,300 miles from Moscow and just a five-hour drive from China’s border, this once-booming Pacific Ocean port is a rusted Soviet relic with a falling population beset by corruption and neglect.
But Moscow is once again looking to its eastern reaches as a region poised for better times. In fact, much of Vladivostok has been turned into a construction site as it is busily being rebuilt to accommodate the September 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference. Moscow wants the prestigious summit to be something of a coming-out party for the region, hoping to promote foreign investment and stave off perceptions that it will one day be dominated by China.
