Russia (2): Past and Present

Many people in the West associate Russia with the communist regime and with the chaotic times of the decade of the 90's and, certainly, both happened and both left a legacy. Many problems persist, however, to focus only on this would be to ignore that things have evolved and Russia is certainly a booming economy right now, no need to read the Financial Times, signs of the strong economic growth of the past few years are visible everywhere in the streets of Moscow. Symbols of the old regime, however, can still be found in many places in the capital. You can get overwhelmed by the the display of affluence and luxury on display at Moscow's commercial centres, on the way back home, a wall painting at the underground station takes you a few decades back in time...

Pictures: Moscow underground and Atrium Commercial Centre