At VTB Capital’s New York office launch event, Modern Russia attended a lecture on steps the government is taking to liberalize the bond market and make Russian bonds more attractive to foreign investors. The panel featured: Konstantin Vyshkovsky, Head of Public Debt and Government Financial Assets Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation; Igor Marich, Head of Bond and Money Markets at Micex; Philippe Laurensy, Director, Head of Sales Central and Northern Europe at Euroclear Bank; and, Michael O’Brien, Head of Global Trading at Eaton Vance.

On Tuesday, May 8 the representation of Perm, Russia in Brussels opened its doors – the first Russian office of its kind in the de facto capital of Europe. The new representative office is part of Perm’s bid to become an associate European Capital of Culture in 2016 alongside San Sebastián, Spain and Wroclaw, Poland and become a full ECoC in 2020.

In a wide-ranging lecture at a London think tank last week, Russia’s Ambassador to the UK discussed the economic priorities for the new Putin administration, called for more liberal visa regimes and underscored Moscow’s commitment to fighting corruption in Russia.

The first episode of Bloomberg’s new series “Ryan's Russia”— billed as “a quirky look at the Russia you don't know” — focuses on one of Russia’s favorite vacation spots, the Black Sea town of Sochi, future host of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Modern Russia interviews Takuya Aoyama, Vice President of Acquisitions and Development for CIS and Russia for Hyatt International on the new Hyatt hotel in Moscow.

What can you tell Modern Russia about Hyatt’s latest plans in Moscow?

As a center of political, economic and cultural life in the former Soviet Union, Moscow is a critical market for Hyatt as the company continues to reinforce its commitment to becoming the most preferred brand among guests, owners and associates in every segment we serve,