51�Թ�

“In today’s media, of course this time is called nothing less than the “wild ’90s,”and there is little positive being written about them,” said Natalya Maltseva, 38, from the Siberian city of Berezniki.

BEREZNIKI, Russia—In the foothills of Russia’s Urals mountains, a new potash producer is looking to lay claim to around a 10th of the global market for the fertilizer by the middle of the next decade.

The area around Berezniki, a town of some 150,000 about 750 miles east of Moscow, is the hub of Russia’s potash industry, the world’s second largest.

At this weekend's Russian Mosquito Festival in the town of Berezniki, 9-year-old Irina Ilyukhina won the "tastiest girl" category with 43 bites to show for going berry-picking in the forest with her mother.

Sylvinite is a mixture of rock and potassium-bearing salts, and its vibrant colors make the walls of this mine in Berezniki look like they’ve been covered in elaborate tapestry.