Zlatoust, Russia

Capital City

With a population of 157,244, Zlatoust is a gritty industrial hub in Russia's heartland. The town's origins as an ironworks and arms manufacturer remain evident in its unforgiving climate and persistent bureaucratic headaches. Despite its claims to artistic heritage, the reality is a polluted, insular city where strikes and worker uprisings have long been a fact of life. Zlatoust is hardly the picturesque wonderland some expats may envision - it's a place for the tough-skinned and adaptable, not the faint of heart.