-------- Original Message --------
>>>>>It occurred to me that his uncle Vasili is summoned
by VN's father in French ("Basile, on vous attend") and in this
instance the letter "V" turns into a "B."
>>>>>I know that the "H"- in Humbert - becomes a "G" in
Russian.
>>>>Is there any habitual translation of the name Vladimir
which would turn the "V" into a "B," as it is the case of
Vasili/Basile?
Not phonetically, but then of course visually B = V in Cyrillic
alphabet (which is not the case with ç and G).
See also H = N e.g. in Agatha Christie's Orient Express.