On the face of it, Moscow has most of the trappings of modern, European life. There are cafes, even non-smoking ones, where you can order a flat white. There are websites that will deliver your weekly supplies of hummus, fresh apricots and rich French cheeses.
I'm sorry, but I stopped reading at this point. Why would you travel all the way to Moscow and then feast on "French cheeses"? I don't suppose you care about the effect on the environment by everyone flying in "French cheeses" to Moscow (and, simultaneously, Muscovite cheeses to Paris ad infinitum), just so long as you can namedrop "French cheeses" as a prelude to the sort of "expat"-Brits abroad article that was possibly semi-relevant around 1980, but certainly not 30 years later.
Let's face it. Martin Walker you are not. Although I suspect you very much want to be.