With the opening of a nearby residential development, complete with a whole host of leisure facilities, Special Economic Zone Alabuga is hoping to strengthen its appeal to foreign investors.

In less than 10 years, Special Economic Zone Alabuga has developed from being just 'a field and a masterplan', into a zone attracting dozens of businesses from around the world. Now, it is looking to its next phase of growth, with ambitions to have 120 companies and $12bn invested by 2020.

Special Economic Zone Alabuga has identified the biggest problems that investors in Russia usually face – namely, access to infrastructure and ease of trade across borders – and made sure that residents in the zone do not have to struggle at the hands of these issues.

Incentives – in the form of tax breaks, training and other business services assistance – are a large part of what attracts companies to SEZ Alabuga. While such benefits look hugely attractive to prospective investors, Michal Kaczmarski reports on the impact they have for those that take up residence in the zone.

Located in the republic of Tatarstan, Special Economic Zone Alabuga sits alongside cities that have a lot to offer investors in terms of infrastructure, development, leisure and culture. 

Russia has made great strides towards improving its business environment in recent years, but has its work been undone in recent months by the country's controversial involvement in Ukraine?

Far from the Kremlin's corridors of power, Russia's second-tier cities are striving to transform themselves. fDi looks at how the Russian cities of Tomsk, Rostov-on-Don and Tula are trying to attract investors amid geopolitical uncertainty in the region.