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The relationship between a Russian and a bottle of vodka is almost mystical.

Considering that Americans are now moving away from whiskey, moving away from brown spirits in general, I believe that they will all join Russians who drink vodka straight. They will sip it like cognac.

Russians really needed a product that would be not as strong as vodka and not as feminine as cheap sparkling wine, so Martini was a good solution.

I'm not against vodka - they just asked us. They put out some story about us entertaining international celebrities with vodka, which of course wasn't true.

I am president of Russian Standard Company, biggest luxury vodka in Russia. My bank, Russian Standard Bank, issues biggest number of credit cards in Russia. I want for Russian people to have their own best vodka, their own best bank, their own best credit card.

I don't have any opinions about Russians. There are celebrity persons in each country. Different people do different things.

In the western world, you can go out, take a boat trip to the Caribbean and so forth, and buy good things with your own money. But the Russian people with rubles cannot do that.

I don't like the mentality that comes with rich Russian men. Because they have money, they think they can buy a woman - and they do.

The Russians are a very sentimental people.

The Russians are extreme people: they are generous but crazy at the same time. They always have something to say, and I really like that.