For Pavel Cesnek, the future of his sprawling locomotive maker in eastern Ukraine lies in the balance and its fate will be sealed across the Russian border. The head of Luganskteplovoz in the city of Luhansk rules over a communist-era factory and workforce of 6,500 that builds trains primarily for state-run OAO Russian Railways. Like many local businessmen, he fears the pro-European government in Kyiv will antagonize the Kremlin into unleashing trade restrictions that could wipe out industry across Ukraine’s rust belt.
Bloomberg Businessweek: Ukraine rust belt faces ruin on Putin threat to choke trade
Russia's President Vladimir Putin is threatening to halt Ukrainian imports.
