The settlement of Vorkuta was established in 1931. In 1932, it became a labor camp that held a large number of political and economic prisoners in the Soviet Union.
A large number of coal mines were established in Vorkuta during the Second World War. The war required resources, so the Soviet Union built a railway to quickly transport the coal to all parts of the country.
As the coal industry developed, the city became more prosperous. Established as a permanent residential area in 1943, the city now mainly relied on coal, machinery repair, wood processing, and construction materials as its key industries.
As usual, judging from its population, one could tell that it was a smallish town. There were less than 200,000 inhabitants.
It was Li Du and his group's first time in Vorkuta, and the local Wi-Fi signal was very weak. Eventually, they managed to contact Steve, who sent them his address and mentioned that he had arranged for a car to receive them.