The shifting sand is not only in government. Business relationships change frequently too. In trying to get things accomplished, more often than not, it is not what you know, but who you know. In Russia, there is a huge proportion of unqualified people doing momentous functions. The job or power that they hold was not obtained because of their abilities, but rather, their affiliation.
Some people hold on to positions simply by knowing whose back to scratch.
Knowing how to network with the right people can bring about incredible results in Russian business. For me, knowing someone who knows someone has opened previously impermeable corridors in Russia. Furthermore, a clear understanding of the rigid cultural class system is essential. It is no wonder that many Americans run into brick walls when trying to work through the soviet bureaucracy that is still alive and well. Enforcement of laws and the cooperation of officials are dependent much more on relationship, power, and prestige than on any laws actually written in a law book somewhere.