Comments on: Moscow in Perspective

By: Candide

Candide — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:59:38 +0000

“Moscow is shrouded in a veneer of excess only comparable to Beverly Hills.”

I beg to differ.

Comparing to Moscow, Beverly Hills is workers’ paradise. A regular Joe can like totally afford eat, drink and shop in the BH once in a while. The prices in the BH are less than half of Moscow. Even Sax 5th Ave has affordable stuff on sale. The very concept of “sale” seems to be unknow in Moscow. In Moscow they seem to only do “mark ups”.

By: LDR

LDR — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:28:39 +0000

Nice article. Puts things in perspective for people like me who spend too much time reading news and arguing about politics online.

By: Carl

Carl — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:52:08 +0000

Oh, man, Lyndon, Navalny жжет!

By: Lyndon

Lyndon — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:42:36 +0000

This and this somehow seem on-topic given the direction the discussion has taken. Can shareholder activism take the corruption out of Russian business? Doubtful, but perhaps Mr. Navalny is headed in the right direction. Enjoy your time in Moscow, Sean. I'll let you know if I'm in town.

By: Carl

Carl — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:04:20 +0000

Well, it wasn’t exactly “Browder’s FSB protection racket”, at least according to the case materials and the verdict of the sawmill foreman convicted of defrauding taxpayers of $230 million (the money has never been returned). It was the sawmill foreman and “unknown persons” that Magnitsky identified as high-ranking MVD officers.

What’s interesting is that Hermitage is claiming (I’ve seen less evidence of this, though there is some evidence in a report Hermitage sent to Stepashin) that this same group of siloviki pulled the same stunt with Renaissance Capital to get a comparable amount of taxpayer money. The implication is that Renaissance figured: “Well, it’s not our money being stolen, so let’s not make a stink.”

Unfortunately, as angry as this kind of graft makes me, I can’t help thinking maybe Renaissance had it right. Just them steal massive public funds and let your associates avoid jail/death. It’s a depressing conclusion, of course.

By: Joera

Joera — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:49:09 +0000

Thanks for the link, Carl. I didn’t know that 1/ the taxpayer eventually paid Browder’s FSB protection racket. I thought the money came out of Heritage. 2/ Magnitsky died within 3 days after being transfered to Butirskaya.

By: Tim Newman

Tim Newman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:08:30 +0000

Regarding the topic of the Novaya piece, while public antipathy toward the monied class is understandable given the massive thefts of state assets over the past 20 years, it does not change the fact that the harassment and extortion of businessmen by law enforcement authorities is extremely destructive for society.

Agreed absolutely. The barriers to entry for a business in Russia are not only high, but also subject to change on a whim. Unless you’re pulling in about 20% net margin as a minimum, it’s not worth the risk.

By: Ian Robertson

Ian Robertson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:04:51 +0000

I am always surprised by the nature of the comments from many so-called Russophiles. I am a New Zealander and have worked and lived in Russia since 1988, not just in Moscow but as far flung as Sakhalin Island, 5 years EXILE there. Just get over it, if you don’t like get out, stop whingeing about everything that happens in Russia , just because it does not measure up to your standards or whatever you measure it by. I have made my living for over 20 years working in Russia and still do.
Ribka.

By: Carl

Carl — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:49:19 +0000

Here’s the link to the New Times piece, by the way: http://newtimes.ru/articles/detail/11454

By: Howard Roark

Howard Roark — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:08:32 +0000

Ah yes, how many times have I heard Russians say they need a dictator due to their mentality. Another commenter above warned you not to extrapolate what the “average Russian” thinks from your specific interactions, but I can certainly confirm that the dictator belief is thoroughly prevalent amongst the “common Russian taxi driver.”