Vam was born in Moscow into a family of Russian intelligentsia. His father was a merited mechanical engineer and mother a medical doctor. So Vam is a "born and bred" Muscovite. Historically Moscow has always been the heart of Mother Russia and the mere fact of being a genuine Muscovite places a person into a rather special "caste" with an inherent "metropolitan" mindset, moral values and lifestyle traditions more compatible with those in the West.  

Like many Muscovites of his age Vam was raised by his devoted grandmother who secretly baptized him on his birth despite the dominating atheistic rule, and all her life was his spiritual mentor and the leading light. But being a baptized Russian orthodox Christian Vam had to go through all the standard stages of Soviet ideological upbringing: young Pioneers League at primary school, young Komsomol League at high school and University and finally the CPSU membership in the early stage of his professional career. All these stages were compulsory in Russia of those days for anyone willing to achieve any significant position in the Soviet society.   

In his younger years Vam went through all the amenities of Moscow’s "gilded youth" life and relevant experiences... Nowadays he is a family man and the well being of his family is his main concern and motivation. His wife, also a Muscovite, is a retired economist now spending all her time looking after their daughter who is currently a fourth year university student.

When asked about a hobby Vam normally jokes: not applicable!  What we have here is just another  workaholic...