You and I are guests in Russia !

The Russian government’s involvement in all spheres of economic activity opens up great opportunities for corruption. But it would be wrong to interpret this involvement as an insurmountable barrier that will prevent you from making your millions.

But I also believe that any foreign businessman who starts publicly declaiming the corruption of local officials as soon as he arrives in Russia is definitely meddling in the social and political life of a country that has opened its doors to him. I consider this type of behavior to be unethical, incorrect, and just plain impolite. You and I are guests in Russia, so we must behave accordingly. We must avoid any moralizing and admonishing, and we certainly cannot criticize or condemn the masters of the house. And we also won’t behave “comme il faut,” by putting ourselves in the position of “donneur de leçons” (from the French, meaning “he who loves to give lessons”).