A couple attend a celebration in Vladivostok, Russia, July 8, 2025. July 8 marks the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity in ...

In Russia's eastern port city of Vladivostok — home to almost 600,000 people and the Russian Pacific fleet — cars have steering wheels on the right-hand side and come from Japan and South Korea.

This trade provided people in Vladivostok with a good living (boosters say 100,000 of the city’s 600,000 residents were employed in some kind of car-related work) and with cheap, high-quality cars.

Crime, Corruption Persist in Vladivostok Russia's Far East port city of Vladivostok is notorious for rampant crime and corruption. Residents say the violent killings of the 1990s have subsided.

Last spring, Vladivostok’s elected mayor led an outspoken crusade against local crime and corruption. The regional governor deposed him and sent police to drag him from City Hall.