Baltic countries(Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia) is much better place for SV in that region. And forunately they are independent from Russia now.
From what a Russian co-worker tells me, Moscow is the only really safe place for any foreigner to really be.
My brother-in-law says St. Petersburg is much safer than Moscow. (But even St. Petersburg isn't safe enough -- he's a Jew, and eventually had to flee because he was getting harassed very often. Basically, all of Russia is unsafe for anyone non-Russian-looking. And especially non-whites.
I confirm, Saint-Petersburg is okay, I live here. I think Moscow is actually less safer, because it's bigger and it attracts a lot of different people from unstable Russian republics. It's also waaaay more expensive.