What would be an appropriate and formal salutation and ending in a Russian letter and would you sign your name in Latin or Cyrillic characters?

Answer 1

A standard way to open a business letter is with the words "Уважаемый" ("Уважаемая" for a female) followed by an appropriate name form and an exclamation point. "Уважаемый" means "Respected" or "Esteemed" and is similar to how Germans open their formal letters. The greeting is traditionally centered on the page.

Уважаемый Петр Петрович! (addressee's first name and patronimic, if known)

or

Уважаемая Анна Ивановна!

or

Уважаемый господин Иванов! (more formal, and helpful if only last name is known; while contraction "г-н" for "господин" is common, it is not considered proper)

or

Уважаемая госпожа Иванова! (female)

or

Уважаемые господа! (if addressing a group of people, even if it includes women, or company as a whole)

or

Уважаемый Андрей! (people working in companies with a Western-style corporate cultures will be comfortable wit a first name only; just never use "Дорогой" the way "Dear" is commonly used in English).

...

Close with

С уважением, (It means "With respect", or "Respectfully")

Your Name in Cyrillic or Latin characters (If you write in Cyrillica, they will appreciate the effort; if you leave it in English, there will be less room for confusion)

Hope this helps!