The village of Sablino is approximately thirty miles south of St. Petersburg.  The rising prosperity of Russia has reached neither Sablino nor hundreds of other villages throughout Russia where life has scarcely changed since the end of communism.  Swept along for centuries by a series of repressive governments, most Russians live in what, by western standards, would be considered poverty.  The roads are generally unpaved, and the majority of the population of Sablino - approximately 5,000 - still lives in small wooden cottages, many devoid of central heating, running water, and reliable electric power.  The rural economy in villages like Sablino, already in decline before the collapse of communism, has continued to deteriorate.   Although a few residents of St. Petersburg are building summer homes or dachas near Sablino, unemployment is high and salaries remain low.  

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