I was ther twice in '95 on hunting trips and then I and the Mrs. took a river cruise down the Volga from St. Pete to Moscow in '03. I didn't see any evidence of the people clinging to communism. As a matter of fact, the seem to have embraced capitalism in a big way. As for hunting there, you can find game from one end of the country to the other. There's great trout fishing on the Kamchatka Peninsula as well. I regard it as a great way to catch a glimpse of another culture.