What's Wrong with Russia's Work Ethic?

It is clear that the negative aspects of the Russian work ethic have much more to do with the country's distorted political and economic environment and less to do with a distorted "Russian mentality" or inherent national traits. The best proof of this is to look at Russian emigres who, in general, do quite well in the U.S. and Europe. Their work habits dramatically improve once they encounter a healthy political, economic and legal environment in the West and find themselves in a workplace that inspires and rewards personal initiative, drive and motivation. In many cases, the former "poor Russian work ethic" quickly turns into a "Protestant work ethic" once they are paid better and treated with more respect, once they are provided with pensions and subsidized health insurance, once the law protects their rights and their private property, once corruption in the workplace is minimized and once there are more opportunities to build a career and advance within a company based on merit. So where does the Russian work ethic stand now?