I think there has been a clear improvement in what I would describe as petty corruption, and a clear improvement in, for example, the ability to get goods through customs without having to pay bribes. Studies were done in 2001 and then again in 2003, of samples of Russian SMEs. In 2001, they were still highlighting corruption as one of the major barriers to business; by 2003, they were highlighting competition as the main thing they were facing. Corruption and government intervention had actually gone down on the list.
It's not a perfect universe, and there is undoubtedly still corruption in Russia, but I would say it is not a daily necessity. You can do business in Russia without getting involved in corruption at quite a large level of business as well, of senior-level business.
Most foreign companies working there have realized that they are much better off to say from the outset that they will not pay. Having that as a clear policy, once it is understood by their partners, tends to work.