Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Workers of Moscow


From Moscow, we went to Zagorsk, to visit the great monastery, the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. On the way, we passed by Korolyov City (or Korolev), an industrial city known as the cradle of Soviet space exploration.  It was named after Sergi Korolev, the lead engineer for the Soviet space program in the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was said that it was a very secretive place in the Soviet Era.  Taxi drivers would not dare to stop in the area even if their taxis were having trouble.


Between Moscow and Korolyov City there was a stretch of the road where a lot of men were standing by the side of the road.  It could be Yaroslavskoye Shosse, or Prospekt Mira, but I could not be sure.  Apparently they were migrant workers from outside Moscow, who came to Moscow to look for work.  By the looks of them, they could be from the republics in Central Asia.


In post-Soviet Moscow, the burgeoning real estate market has made Moscow one of the most expensive cities in the world.  The earning power of the wealthy Muscovites grew significantly, widening the gap between the city’s rich and poor.  Ethnic tension is rising, and there are frequent crashes between the police and migrant workers.




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