Word: russia
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...There are significantly fewer tourists coming to Russia right now, and this is negatively affecting our sales," says Oleg Korotkov, director of Semyonovskaya Painting, a top Russian handicraft maker. Korotkov's company, which is based in the Nizhny Novgorod region of central Russia, seemed to be weathering the storm until the financial crisis finally struck him and his 70 employees around the end of January. Orders from within Russia have fallen fivefold, he says, while combined foreign and domestic sales have fallen 30% to 40% this year. "Our sales were supported through the end of the year just on inertia...
...Nizhny Novgorod region, shares Korotkov's dim view of the government plan. "Realistically, I'm not sure that the funds will reach all of the factories," he says. But even if they do, not all of the country's handicrafts are produced in the small factories that dot rural Russia. In Sergiyev Posad, the historic home of the nesting doll, many people still paint dolls in their living rooms and kitchens. While the government says it aims to save a traditional Russian art form, the artisans who still do the work in the most traditional way may be the ones...
...financial crisis continues to take its toll and travelers decide to stay closer to home this summer, Russia's small local industries suddenly find themselves struggling. Now the government is stepping in to try to keep Russia's artisanal traditions alive. Earlier this year the Russian government announced that it would buy $28.4 million worth of nesting dolls (called matryoshka in Russian), lacquered dishes, crocheted shawls, felt caps and other quintessentially Russian knickknacks to bolster the industry and try to protect the livelihoods of some 30,000 workers at around 240 companies. (See pictures of Russia celebrating Victory...
...government's plans rarely help," says Yelena (who declined to give her last name), a handicrafts vendor along the souvenir strip. As the women sitting in their lawn chairs nearby nod their heads in agreement, she adds, "If they really want to help, they should increase our pensions." If Russia's handicrafts industry collapses, a 120-year-old tradition could begin to fade and pensions could be all that these women - and thousands of dollmakers - have left...
...reopen, run by criminal groups," says Ian Payne, director of operations at the River Palace. "There is a huge, established customer base that still wants to gamble. People will get fed up after a few weeks." Whether moral crusade or canny campaign move, the decision to ban gambling in Russia and Ukraine is a risky play...