It is sad, but in ex-USSR states the richest people are not businessmen, sportsmen or actors: they are politicians. The president MUST be very rich, and the governors MUST be quite rich (i.e. control many businesses directly). Otherwise, how would they rule?

And you are right, edvalais, many ugly things are considered "normal" among some Russians. We are cynics now.

It seems, that the only deadly insult to the "average Russian" is the hint that some "foreigners" are going to teach us.