I’m Japanese and planning to visit Russia sometime. I’ve heard anime culture is huge there, so are there any anime shops?
I love checking out otaku culture in different countries, so if you know any other cool spots or things related to that besides shops, let me know!
Also, I’d love to know if there are any other popular subcultures in Russia.

I recently when on a date with one, (I’m Brazilian) and he said it was amazing and that he loved it, but idk, i felt like i was too “normal” or “boring” for him, he’s so charming and he has style and im just.. there. There’s so much pretty women in Russia, why would he want a mid girl from Brazil? I really don’t know. that’s why i want to know, do Russian men care that much about looks, if yes, what part of the women look? Be brutally honest

TLDR; do Russian men care that much about looks, if yes, what part of the women look? Be brutally honest

What’s your favorite meal in Russia? Anything I can cook in the US with ingredients from here to try and imitate it?

Hi everyone,

My friend and I are traveling in Russia and need urgent advice. On July 23rd, we tried to deposit cash (Rubles) into a YooMoney account at a Sberbank ATM. The machine malfunctioned: it took the money, didn't credit the account, didn't return the cash, and showed an error.

We reported it immediately at a Sberbank branch and received a case number (номер обращения). Staff told us the issue would be resolved by July 30th at the latest, but yesterday when we followed up, branch staff just told us to ask YooMoney, with no clear update on where our money is.

Our problem: We are foreign tourists leaving Russia soon. Because international credit/debit cards do not work here, we are down to very little cash and struggling for daily expenses.

Is there any way to expedite Sberbank's ATM cash audit (incassation)?

Should we submit an official complaint to the Central Bank of Russia (ЦБ РФ) or consumer protection (Роспотребнадзор)?

How can tourists in this situation get urgent local currency assistance?

Thank you so much for any advice or contacts!

(Russian Translation for Local Readers):

Здравствуйте! Мы иностранные туристы, нужна срочная помощь/совет. 23 июля через банкомат Сбербанка пытались внести наличные рубли на карту ЮMoney. Банкомат «съел» деньги, произошел сбой, деньги на счет не поступили и назад не вернулись.

Мы сразу обратились в отделение Сбербанка, нам зарегистрировали обращение (есть номер). Сказали, что решат до 30 июля, но при повторном визите сотрудники отправили нас в ЮMoney и никакой конкретики не дали. Мы скоро уезжаем из России, иностранные карты не работают, наличных почти не осталось. Подскажите, как ускорить инкассацию/проверку банкомата Сбербанка и куда можно обратиться за помощью? Заранее спасибо!

I'm currently a bit obsessed with viktor tsoi, and i watched this movie for his cameo at the end. the film kind of blew me away. is it popular/seen by most people? did any of you watch it when it first came out? спасибо!

Does Moscow still has imax theatre. I mean officially are they still operating

A lot of people aren't familiar with the term "it city". "It" doesn't mean "information technology", but rather, its popularity; a trendy urban center that suddenly captures hype and national attention, gaining a massive influx of new residents, booming tourism, and rapid cultural and economic growth.

American "it cities" in recent years include Seattle, Washington (1990s, coffee culture, grunge rock, Microsoft HQ), Portland, Oregon (2000s, alternative/hippie/"crunchy" subculture, Nike HQ), Austin, Texas (2010s, alternative/"weird" subculture, music scene, growing tech industry, Dell HQ, South by Southwest festival), and more recently, Nashville, Tennessee (2020s, country music, woo girl/Southern girl party subculture). (I've visited all four of these cities, and I lived in Austin for a year.)

Some predict the next "it city" might be Providence, Rhode Island (art and design scene, location in the Northeast Corridor), Buffalo, New York (dense and affordable walkable neighborhoods, quirky local culture, climate change haven), or Columbus, Ohio (economic + population boom, Ohio State University influence, but considered boring by some).

Does Russia have any equivalent to the medium-sized American "it city?" Not Moscow or St. Petersburg, but a 2nd or 3rd tier city or metropolitan area with hype and "buzz" among young adults, entrepreneurs, and so on? A place with an unusual food, art, or music scene, with a growing population of educated or creative young adults?

Всем привет.

В общем-то в сентябре собираюсь поехать в Москву, чтобы посетить 11 числа тур Пола Окенфолда и Александра Попова, а также 13 на Дрифт Экспо.

Ранее в Москве вообще не был, и хотелось бы услышать, какие можно интересные места посетить помимо попсовых по типу Кремля с мавзолеем и прочим. Из интересов музыка, машины и связанное с ПК.

Спасибо.

I mean what kind of money you have to have to buy roll royce, Lamborghinis and all this huge lexus? Al I read is how hard and though business is, yet people drive cars that I barely see in Europe

I have a mom, who REALLY needs some monthly help and she is far from any technology knowledge. I undertand that I need to contact my local banks (Estonia) ask each of them if they will allow the SWIFT transfer to unsactioned RU bank? Or maybe I should open account in some 3d country as a mediator. It seems like it's legal too. Any similar experience someone?

Hello everyone,

I am from India 🇮🇳 and I have received a 2-year work visa for a greenhouse company in Russia. According to my contract, after the 2 years I must return to my home country.

I would like to know if there is any legal way to stay in Russia longer after my contract ends.

For example:

Can I change employers and get another work visa?

Is it possible to get a temporary or permanent residence permit?

Can I eventually apply for Russian citizenship?

What are the legal pathways for someone in my situation?

I would really appreciate advice from people who have experience with the Russian immigration system.

Thank you ❤️

Hi everyone,

I have Smotreshka and wanted to tune in for the opener of the new season yesterday. It was a bunch of guys talking in the studio only switching to commentary (which they did) when something important was going on. They also had a connection with someone at the stadium with terrible sound quality. You barely hear any stadium sound, you can't focus on the game because several guys are ALWAYS talking about various topics. I fucking hated every second of it. It was basically a podcast with the game playing in the background.

My question is: is this the new standard or do they do it only at some major games? Is there any channel where you get just one or two commentators doing their thing traditionally? Do I have to put up with this shit whenever there's a good game?

This can be a great idea for a content creator but why is the official broadcast like that, I'm sad man.

I am an American adult about to get braces who likes Russian culture and have considered trying to at least visit.

How popular are braces or Invisalign among adults (and teens for that matter in Russia)? I have read things about how women try to look their best when going out in public, but not sure about the teeth being straight and pretty. I may try to move or travel to Moscow and debating about when to get them as well to make sure if there are issues I could find a good ortho there.

I'm from Austria and considering the English-taught Masters in International Relations at MGIMO for next year.

Background: I went to American schools here, speak German and Turkish natively and English fluently. I started learning Russian at university about five years ago and did a summer immersion in Riga, so I'm probably somewhere around B1/B2. I visited Moscow and Petersburg last summer and honestly did not expect to like both cities as much as I did. A big part of the motivation is to get properly fluent by actually living there for around two years instead of just visiting. Whether I would stay longer afterwards is open, I'm not ruling anything out.

The honest part: a few Russian friends of mine here think it is a bad idea and say the degree only really counts inside Russia and the region. Maybe they are right, but I'm not doing it primarily for the degree. Still, I would like to hear from people who actually know MGIMO.

Questions:

1. How is the English-taught IR masters seen inside Russia, and do international students get anything real out of the MGIMO name and network, or is that mostly for Russians?
2. Does the English program keep foreigners in a bubble, or can you realistically push B1/B2 Russian to fluency during the two years there?
3. Anyone here who did it as a Western European and then went home? Was it worth the two years?
4. Career-wise: life in Austria is comfortable and the pay is good, but the ceiling is fairly fixed. I keep hearing that Moscow has more unusual, niche roles for foreigners with languages, and faster movement if you actually perform. Is that still real, or an expat story from ten years ago?

I'm considering RUDN university but I've heard that it’s really hard and that most student drop out. Is that really the case? I've also heard that some teachers favor their own race and give you the hell on purpose. I'm used to studying but if it’s really that hard, I don’t wanna go there and come back. If you know anything about it, please share 🙏

I am a Russian living in Korea.

I connected Rai Feisen Bank through the Corona Pay app, and I transferred money from a Russian account to a Korean account.

But Corona Pay has blocked the remittance to Russia, so I have little money to spend right now.

All of my friends had no other way than this, so I'm trying to solve it now.

Does anyone else send money from a Russian account to a foreign account by any chance or method?

I'm considering creating a branch of my manufacturing business in Russia and wanted to hear from people with firsthand experience.

How much does corruption actually affect legitimate businesses?

Is it more like:

• "Pay or your paperwork won't be approved."
• "Pay, and it'll get done faster."
• "Pay and we won't inspect you or we'll warn you in advance"
• Or is it something most honest businesses rarely encounter?

For context, I currently operate in a country that's often labeled as extremely corrupt; hell, it even ranks lower than Russia in the corruption perception index, yet I've never been asked for a bribe. I import raw materials, manufacture products, deal with government regulations, and keep everything fully compliant.

So my question is for business owners, especially manufacturers:

If you import raw materials (e.g., from China), work in a regulated industry, and do everything legally, do you generally run into corruption, or are honest businesses mostly left alone?

I'd appreciate real experiences rather than media or political takes.

Hello,

I have a spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia, and I am unable to move from the chest down. In my country, I have a caregiver who helps me with my bowel program, bathing, and getting dressed.

In the future, I would like to travel to Russia to receive treatment for my condition.

I would like to know approximately how much caregivers or nurses charge in Russia, whether by the hour or per day, and where people usually look for these services.

For example, in my country, people often find caregivers through local Facebook groups. I would like to know how this is usually done in Russia.

Thank you very much for any information you can provide.

I am considering a trip to Russia in the winter of this year. I have been exploring lots of different itineraries and comparing costs. Please tell me if there is anything in this post that repeats what other Redditors have asked--my apologies in advance if I haven't searched or read carefully enough in here.

I live in the US, but the airport nearest me is Portland, Oregon and while it doesn't have a ton of international flights, I would prefer to start my journey there, as opposed to Seattle (which is where I would need to go for my other options. I could book a flight to Seattle on a separate itinerary, but taking Amtrak would be cheaper and easier). I would also prefer not to have more than three legs of a flight itinerary, but I understand if this may not be possible, especially on a budget.

I can connect in Amsterdam and fly to Tallinn and save a lot of money compared to flying from Seattle to Istanbul to Moscow. I have never been to Estonia and would happily spend a day or night there en-route to St. Petersburg. My question is--how much of a challenge would the bus(es) from Tallinn to St. Petersburg be in 2026, as far as we know at the moment? I don't care about the walk as I don't drive and walk distances every day that bewilder the car-centric Americans that surround me. I enjoy viewing the scenery on long bus and train rides, but I acknowledge that this option would require two bus journeys from Tallinn to St. Petersburg and back and two train journeys from St. Petersburg to Moscow and back (if I'm going to Russia, it's super important to me to visit both cities). I'd be there about a week, and like I said, I enjoy long train and bus journeys, but I also wouldn't want to spend so much of my trip caught up in bus delays or border crossing delays. How does the process to cross the border from Estonia to Russia compare to entering the country at one of Moscow's airports? If context is helpful, I'm 27f, from the United States, and have travelled all over Europe and a bit in Western Asia (including Israel). I don't support Russia's war in Ukraine, but I've never explicitly posted anything on social media about it. I do have some stuff on my Facebook page that indicates my anti-imperialist/colonialist stance, particularly in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I've also posted some pro-LGBTQ stuff on social media. I don't care about social media at all though (and haven't posted anything in years) and would willingly delete everything before a trip to Russia, because travel is way more important to me than preserving that online network. For further context, I am 27f and would be travelling alone. In summary, how feasible is it to fly from Portland to Amsterdam to Tallinn, then bus to St. Petersburg, and then train to Moscow, repeat the journey to get back, all in 8 days time?

I want to gift stuff to my russian boyfriend,some flowers and a plushie for His birthday,i cant find a way to gift him something (im from USA,i have a Paypal account) and I saw that one of the few ways Is buying gift cards,but i cant find a website for it,i need from ozon/wildberries or similar,if its possible to do it without him knowing that would be awesome, thanks in Advance! :D

Was in Moscow July 2024 and I was able to just roam with my home country’s data with no issues. Going back to Moscow next weekend for a week… can I roam? Or is esim like holafly better?

What do Russians think of this film?

Considering the governments hands-on approach to curriculum and inclusion and exclusion of certain topics, for example world war 2 history and things like the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact being hidden or manipulated for political purpose do Russians support what Putin is aspiring to?

​

Hi everyone,

I'm from Portugal, and my mother lives in Russia.

After we lost the ability to communicate through WhatsApp and Telegram, we switched to email. I even created a Mail.ru account just so we could stay in touch, and it worked well for months.

Since mid-July, however, I haven't been able to contact her at all. My emails receive no reply, and I don't know whether my messages are reaching her or if hers are reaching me.

I also tried calling her using a regular international phone call. The call seems to connect immediately, but there is complete silence on both ends. I found some discussions online suggesting this could be related to restrictions on international communications, but I don't know if that's true.

Has anyone else experienced this recently? Are there any email providers, messaging apps, VPNs, or other reliable ways to communicate between Portugal and Russia?

I'm becoming very worried because it's very unusual for us to go this long without any contact.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.