When Euromoney went to a dacha outside Moscow to visit Viktor Gerashchenko, the last head of the Soviet central bank and twice governor of its Russian successor, we thought a reminder of his time in London at Moscow Narodny Bank during the 1960s might be appreciated.
Unfortunately, Harrods breakfast tea turns out not to be the British delicacy that Gerashchenko misses the most. After examining the box closely and giving it a shake next to his ear, the 81-year-old remarked wryly: “Well, it’s not whisky…”
It being International Women’s Day, we also brought flowers for Gerashchenko’s wife and daughter. Whether the intended recipients appreciated them, we never found out, but they certainly delighted one member of the household.
Euromoney had the unusual experience of trying to conduct the interview over the head of Gerashchenko’s ecstatic and unfeasibly fluffy cat, Musia.