Sergey Naumkin

read moreIt is even more difficult for the smaller British firm to find such representation in Russia itself. The best lawyers are located in either Saint Petersburg or Moscow. Unfortunately, the finest legal minds in specific areas, such as Litigation or Intellectual Property, do not generally speak English. You can of course hire an interpreter, but translating Russian legal terminology is an extra layer of complexity (and costs) that most small and medium British firms don't need. And if you're trying to do business in one of the more remote areas of Russia - and there are many - you won't be able to find an experienced, business-school trained legal interpreter.

read moreTwo major cities mostly known to westerners are Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. The treasure of Moscow is embodied in the Tretykov Gallery, the Bolshoy Theatre and the Kremlin collections. The most advantageous Saint-Petersburg art collections are preserved in the Hermitage and the Russian Museum. Other famous Russian towns also can boast their unique living atmosphere - castles, churches and cloisters. You can find it in medieval democratic Novgorod and Pskov or Kaliningrad (former German Konigsberg) on the Baltic Sea Coast, where I lived previously.