How about the airlines make sure they load all the luggage for each flight onto the aircraft with the passengers... just a crazy thought...

In my experience Russian customs has many rules, very few of them are enforced no mater what is said. I lost bags on the way into St Petersburg once and came out with a hand written report from a very strange office in the bowels of Pulkovo airport. They didn't get my luggage to me while I was in Russia but it they did get it back very promptly to the UK (much more time was spent in Heathrow waiting for BA to deliver it). The agent laughed when I said we had came on Alitalia, good to see that even in Russia they are a by-word for lost luggage!