World's Biggest Country Doesn't Have to Go Far for Cheaper Labor

Just a seven-hour drive south of Moscow, Stary Oskol could be a world away when it comes to the costs of running a business.

For Metalloinvest Holding Co., the bargain was too good to pass up. Starting in July, Russia’s largest iron-ore producer is relocating some management personnel from the capital to the old mining center that’s perhaps best known as the home of the country’s most celebrated mixed-martial-arts fighter. And once its new service hub there is up and running, the company expects to cut its expenses for operations such as bookkeeping and human resources by almost a third.