Business visa for Russia

You should get your visa before your airplane ticket, but it's possible to go the other way around. I can only say what I did, which is apparently quite normal. I ordered a 90-day business visa.

I used an "agency", this one, in my case, which sends you an image of a certified "business invitation" for you, which you've paid for, and which you then print out and send to the Russian Consulate near you (with application forms etc.). Mine had an error in it, but it didn't seem to matter. The Consulate sent me back a visa in record time (I paid the extra fee, and provided the registered Fedex envelope for returning my passport). In moscow, I went to the address of "the agency", within three business days of coming to the country, and the agency called the government and stamped my migration card.

Things seem pretty relaxed in Russia, immigration-wise. Just read the instructions carefully, and you'll be ok.