When Vladimir Putin steps down as Russian President after eight years in office, he'll be remembered for making massive changes within his country.

But one issue that's shown little sign of improvement is racial attacks. Violence leaves dozens of people dead every year and injures many more. A recent Amnesty International report went so far as to described racist violence in Russia as "out of control."

In the second of our special reports on the state of Russia, Al Jazeera' s Jonah Hull visited Vladimir Putin's home city, St Petersburg.