Boris Federov, the former deputy prime minister of the Russian Federation, is clearly enjoying his release from political shackles, especially now he has his own private equity fund to play with.

No longer in the business of charming the electorate, he can tell it like it is. He has forthright views on many topics, particularly on the salaries of the six juniors he is looking to hire in the next fortnight. "The salaries of the juniors will be shit. I have no need for mercenaries looking to sell their services to the highest bidder," he told Village last week.