Greetings.

I was born in Minsk, Belarus, and raised in an environment where Russian culture was heavily respected and emphasized. I have found, however, that in such an environment genuine privacy is less valued than, say, in the United States. Silence for long periods of time is indeed more acceptable, but this is because Russians have historically been crammed together into extremely tight living conditions with strangers (think of communal apartments during the days of the USSR--which were sometimes shared by three families who were mutual strangers). What is less acceptable is the genuine privacy that can be found in solitude; being alone is often considered egotistical and even dangerous (especially by government officials). There is no idea in the Russian culture that solitude can result in increased creativity or self-improvement.

The Russian language does not even contain a word for "privacy," and I have always had a difficult time explaining the American idea of privacy to Russian friends and relatives who stayed behind in Minsk. There is indeed the three-word equivalent you suggest-- which literally means "sphere of personal life," but its connotation is substantially weaker than that of privacy.

For some interesting discussions of Russian culture and affairs, I invite you to http://www.panasianbiz.com.