[Music] on a cold but bright Sunday morning the Chimes of 17th century Bells peel across an ancient city yasal is a testament to Russian strength and endurance for a thousand years it has survived a turbulent and sometimes agonizing history the invaded its Fortress the Bolsheviks closed its churches and economic reformers destroyed its [Music] factories today yaras slav is a wounded casualty of Russia's stumbling transition from communism most of its privatized businesses are ruined Social Services have almost collapsed many of its pensioners are reduced to begging but the surprising thing about this place is not how
bad things have become it's how certain people are that they'll get through these latest troubles yaroslav doesn't just embody Russia's problems it also shows its potential because in the mid M of this deepest crisis there are stirrings of renewal yosl's biggest Factory should be in as dire a state as anything in Russia but its profits have never been higher it's even hiring hundreds of new workers every month elizabeta katava has worked here for more than 30 years x-raying ties for quality control for the first time since per Striker she no longer fears for the future
that a factory like this could Prosper also gives Hope For the Rest of Russia's soviet-built [Music] industry the Aros Laval Tire Factory was set up in 1932 as a state-run Enterprise it prospered in the days of heavy industry even inventing synthetic rubber but the factory wilted as the world economy passed it [Music] by when it was privatized in the early '90s it was stuck with the same rusting equipment and outmoded work practices by last year the factory couldn't even afford to pay wages it was paying its workers with tires in July a new management team
took over headed by 32-year-old Nikolai tonov [Music] Russia's economic meltdown could have finished the factory instead it helped to save it as the national currency the ruble collapsed the tires were suddenly a quarter the cost of their imported competition by modernizing their marketing and work practices the management was able to take advantage of this new found competitiveness [Music] [Music] elizabeta can't afford any luxuries but now she's being paid in Rubles not tires she can throw together some traditional Hospitality elizabeta invited us to her apartment for a meal of bleenies and sweets with her 81-year-old mother
alet her W sees her mother through those months when the pension never arrives the Tire Factory has been Central to the family's life since it opened 67 years before Allah looks back on those Soviet years as a golden time [Music] Anna still belongs to the Factor's [Music] choir every so often they get together to entertain other Factory veterans and to reminisce the years of Reform have severely strained the close bonds that communities like this once [Music] enjoyed factories were always much more than places where people [Music] worked under the Soviet system a factory could also
be where your kids went to school where your family went to the doctor it could even run the cinema you went to for entertainment and when a factory died everything that wound a community together went as well today Yas laav is trying to revive those links the Tire Factory no longer pays for a school in kindergarten it once ran but now it's profitable it does help the old factory Hospital the hospital treats the Factory's 5,000 staff and their families for free the state is supposed to provide half the funding but really does only the factory
subsidy keeps the staff paid and the hospital stoed with medicine the radiologist jeova can now use high-tech equipment unheard of in most Russian hospitals but the cold principles of the market apply Yia has 9 years training and 30 years of experience and she's paid less than a cleaner fore most people in yaras Laval gave up any hope of being rich a long time [Music] ago the happiness that can be found here comes from family friends and the Dependable Rhythm Of [Music] Seasons many Russians feel lost and humiliated by their country's descent from a superpower to
a developing Nation but in Yas Laval there's a growing pride in their more distant [Music] past Yas Laval's folk dancing Ensemble is now rehearsing for summer when the vulgar River Thor is bringing boatloads of tourists The Ensemble belongs to the yis laava railway but it's their commercial concerts that pay the staff's wages and help renovate the theater for the dancers it's a labor of love even two of the company's Stars Olga Petr and Elina Shaga don't get paid for performing they survive on their day jobs and in modern Russia that's a daunting challenge we met
alga and Arena on Saturday morning at yaroslav's only Fast Food Outlet it was a rare [Applause] treat Olga on the left earns 700 rues a month as a full-time teacher the equivalent of $35 Arina works for the Department of Labor earning even less the meal cost more than a tenth of their monthly wage but they're not complaining expectations here are brutally realistic it's Saturday afternoon and the junior hockey team is gearing up for a big match the senior team the Torpedoes shot to the top of the National League two years ago coach sge keski is
looking forward to more [Applause] [Music] [Applause] success but some believe the city's sporting Obsession could be its costly mistake y's Governor anaton sitson has taken a Lea from Zar history and ordered the construction of a palace it's to be called The Ice Palace gaval is spending far more on its construction than it will spend on the poor and homeless El maena a local journalist who's been covering the construction disagrees she believes the governor is indulging in the new National Pastime squandering other people's money Russia has been let down badly by its postcommunist rulers thanks to
them most news is still bad every week City television reports on unpaid wages late pensions and political bickering money that could have revived Russ industry or at least cushion the impact of change has been wasted or simply stolen historic opportunities have been missed perhaps for good but in towns like yaroslav private citizens might just succeed where governments have failed instead of shipping its money offshore the Tire Factory is spending Millions on modernizing its equipment in the long term it will compete on more than a falling ruble despite the Gloom many people still feel hope having
endured so much in the past they're confident that one day they'll have a future fortim for [Music] [Music] at the end of another week yaroslav's Christians gather to seek solace in faith and to give thanks for blessings if Russia is to revive it will most likely be through ordinary people and their small but determined struggles their hope and strength are as good a reason as any to believe in Russia's future yavel may be battered but it's not beaten it h
