Western businesses are still reluctant to invest heavily because they fear a government shift will lead to nationalization. Many aren't being paid, and those who are have found their incomes worth much less since the government devalued the ruble. The medical and educational systems have been hurt by tough economic times. Life expectancy is dropping. Teachers, mostly outside Moscow, have gone months without pay.
Organized crime is rampant, along with official corruption.
Officials confirm 5,500 active corruption investigations of government officials in Moscow. The mix of Western economics and Russia's troubles has turned some things upside down. For example, a secretary who can speak English or a kid working the counter at a Western fast-food restaurant in Moscow might make more than a nuclear scientist. Economic turmoil Russia is in deep financial trouble. The government is printing rubles to pay billions of dollars in back wages and pensions.