Gus Khrustal, a small town situated 270km east of Moscow, used to be the centre of the country's glass-making industry. Around 15 years ago, the region had around 6000 employees working in the crystal sector. Now, however, only a few hundred remain. One employee, working at The Crystal Factory, with over 25 years experience, said he was barely making enough to live on, just 220 Euros per month. Today, the factory doesn't even have the funds to pay its employee unemployment contributions. "The country's in crisis," he said. "There are other factories, but they too are laying people off." The town was the centre of the Russian glassmaking industry, but today all the factories are on their knees, buildings are in ruins, & no one has the money to invest in new technology.
