Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl

By Jason Bush
Photography by Valeri Nistratov/agency.photographer.ru

For months, Moscow has reeled from what Russians call the "krizis," or crisis. Now the pain is spreading to such far-flung industrial cities as Yaroslavl, 150 miles northeast of the capital.

Founded almost 1,000 years ago, Yaroslavl is proud of its historical and cultural heritage. The city is home to automotive parts makers, electrical-engineering and petrochemical plants, and factories owned by multinationals such as Eastman Kodak, Japanese heavy-equipment maker Komatsu, and German publisher Bertelsmann.

As local factories cut back working hours and lay off employees, unemployment is rising. The mood in the once-booming city has turned distinctly frosty.