Who knows Vladivostok?

I have always wanted to see Russia east of the Ural Mountains. This is the geographical line where the 'European part' of Russia separates from the 'Asian part' as learnt at school in the 1980s. Anyway, what does it look like? Does it look more like Russia or more like Asia? Do people there enjoy modern life as much as we do? What are the people concerned with? What do the people deal with? Loads of questions...(Map by RusNet).

Fortunately, the Internet makes it easy to access information to start with. The last time 'Vladivostok' was on the BBC News was almost exactly 6 years ago, in November 2003, when BBC reporter Steve Rosenberg published a diary about his travels through Siberia and Far East Russia. He reported, amongst other things, that back in 2003 Vladivostok struggled to produce enough water. It was routine for the people to fill containers, buckets, bowls, jars, cans and bottles with water once it came on in order to bridge the days no water came out of the taps. Local hospitals feared an outbreak of typhoid or other diseases similar to their experience made 30 years ago when thay had the last water shortage. Explanations were sought by examining nature and the man-made structure. Eventually, people got entangled in the "blame-game" when summer drought as well as the old water system were 'held responsible'. The water system was said to be outworn and in desperate need of updating, but officials were slow at responding and allocating the money. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3234568.stm) Now this sounds like Russia to me: People struggling with the most basic issues. (Picture: Vladivostok Station by Tripadvisor)

In recent months, Vladivostok has been in the news for different headlines. In 2008, German Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported that people complain about corruption. They said that corruption amongst government officials has grown immensely. Along these lines, a brave Russian journalist described how 'apparatchiks' had luxury mansions erected and schools demolished for that. In another small city near Vladivostok called "New Moscow", locals demonstrated against massive deforestation. The timber is sent directly to furniture factories or to China. Workers at sites always have an official document at hand, confirming approval.

In October 2009, Yezhednevnye Novosti Vladivostoka reported that a bilaterial agreement between Russia and China has been signed against 'Bioterrorism'. By this, the newspaper was referring to the illegal border crossings and poaching on Fareastern Leopards from the Chinese side. Russia now is also pursuing a special programme to save the Amur Tiger or Siberian Tiger as Frankfurter Allgemeine reports in November 2009. Tigers are continuously killed for their pelts and body parts and the worldwide population is estimated to be only 3,200 Tigers, according to WWF. 450 adult tigers are Amur Tigers in the Far East. The plan seeks to double the Tiger population by 2022 by protecting its habitat and food source (deer & boar).

Right: Siberian or Amur Tiger (Picture by zls.org); Left: Amur Leopard (Picture by Wikipedia.org)