We can all heave a sigh of relief. Russian financier Andrei Vavilov has reached a settlement with the developer of the Plaza Hotel! We were worried the Vavilovs might not receive adequate compensation after they were duped into buying two Plaza penthouses (sight unseen) with lower-than-acceptable ceilings. But justice has been served, according to Vavilov's lawyer, who was "very pleased" with the outcome.

Don’t ever try to deduce what a Russian billionaire is thinking. You will get sued for defamation. Just ask the Times of London. They ran a story on Sunday alleging that Roman Abramovich was considering selling his football club, Chelsea; now it’s Wednesday and the judge is already hearing the case. Abramovich and the team are suing the paper’s parent company, Times Newspapers Limited, for an unspecified amount.

The economy's done no favors for Russia's retail sector, which is where Wal-Mart sees an opportunity. Swooping into metaphorical "rebound boyfriend" position while Russia's in a vulnerable state, Wal-Mart just registered a legal entity and joined an organization of local retailers in Russia.

It's official, there's now a KGB—dot-com. Commercial intent. That's right. But it's not what you think. A privately held directory assistance provider from New York christened itself the Knowledge Generation Bureau, or "kgb" for short, and launched its "enhanced information" services last week. So, in addition to getting an address or phone number from the Bureau, which feels dirty enough as is, you can also text, phone, or e-mail this kgb with your most pressing unclassifiable questions (i.e. "Is Solzhenitsyn rolling in his grave right now?")

Russia Today reports that with the stocks plunging, the number of gigolos in Moscow is bulging.This, according to Moscow police. The story comes in the wake of last month’s Russian Newsweek feature about the country’s economically challenged men seeking material sponsorship from wealthy single women in exchange for, well, being men.