LIDYA KONDRASHINA, 50, ECONOMIST

Yes it does. Specifically, I think investment should come from Germany, France and the Netherlands. Russia has good economic relations with these countries. And, of course, it is in their interest to invest in Russia as well. However, I should point out that there are dangers. Unchecked investment could increase Russia's foreign debt – something our children and grandchildren would have to pay. We must make sure that money coming into Russia is put toward projects that will generate real economic improvement, things like developing industry and social institutions.

VLADIMIR PIMENOV, 55, POET

No. I think Russia is a very self-sufficient country. With all its abundant resources, it can overcome any crisis. Our difficulties come from elsewhere. As one writer put it, "There are two problems in Russia: fools and roads." In essence, this means that incompetent governing and management force Russia to spend money and resources in vain. Because of this, we need foreign investment. Why hasn't this problem been solved by now? Perhaps, it's because Russia is a country where there are so many people of different nationalities and opposing views that no one can agree.

NADEZHDA MANOYLO, 18, STUDENT

From an economics class I took not long ago, and passed, I remember that every country needs foreign investment – and Russia is no exception. This is true especially today, when the country has no capital resources. But, even though investment is important, it should be limited. Otherwise, Russia would have such a big international debt, it wouldn't be able to pay it back. Our economy needs a temporary boost in order to improve. But unless the government cleans up corruption, it won't amount to much.

ALEXEI TOLSTYKH, 41, ENGINEER

Russia needs foreign investment today, and it always will. But unfortunately, the money that comes in is usually stolen. Part of Russia's capital and resources are concentrated in the private sector, which doesn't always behave in everyone's best interests by putting money back into production. I think that Europe and Asia are our potential investors. The United States isn't interested in our economy. But the Americans should look at the Chinese; they have invested in Russia and are receiving good profits.

PYOTR PARKHOMENKO, 17, RADIO CORRESPONDENT

Definitely, it does. Russia has the potential to improve its economy, but it needs the necessary launch capital, which it doesn't have yet. That's why foreign investment is essential. Given the kind of profits they make, our industries can't reinvest in their own businesses. This is a problem. Russia is a new market for foreign investment and I'm sure that every country is interested to get a piece of the action. So, if Russia is honest and fair with investors, then it should soon see a great inflow of capital.

MARIA DOROFEYEVA, 16, STUDENT

The problem isn't that Russia lacks large sums of money for investment. Rather, the difficulty arises because there are no people capable of investing in the right way. Bureaucracy is prospering and both domestic and foreign investments are getting stolen. Until the system is cleansed of corruption, Russia will always need help from abroad. Ideally, for an emerging market economy, foreign investment should be at about 70 percent. But over time, as the economy improves, that figure should shrink.