VTB Said to Woo Global Financiers at Sanctions Burlesque

As international sanctions hit Russia, some of Moscow’s bankers have continued partying on to keep business flowing.

The investment banking unit of Russia’s state-owned lender VTB Group last month treated several hundred U.S., European and Russian financiers to a six-hour party at the Moscow Crowne Plaza that included turns from British pop diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor, dancers and a charade making light of sanctions, according to three people who attended.