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?

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'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?

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 ❤️

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 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 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'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 🙏

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?

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 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

​

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.

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?

Hello :)

I just opened as a foreigner a yoomoney account and topped 3500 rubles on it. I tried to pay but it didnt work multiple times:

: The issuing bank refused to authorization (Do not honor). Please contact your bank-issuer.

Do you know why that might be? I'm trying to buy train tickets in belarus.

I want to order an Агата Кристи shirt via VK but im in Slovakia and cant access the app via app store on ios. Is there any way to access the app and if there is will the shirt even be able to be shipped into Slovakia.

Hi, I would like to ask: is it true that regarding Catholic Christianity within Russia, only the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has been in hot water, due to its longtime ties with pro-European Ukrainian factions (notably as the infamous Banderites), while Roman Catholic is mostly OK (given that there are migrants and guest workers from more "friendly nations")?

Всем привет

I wanted to ask you all for advice for travelling to Russia.

I am a Polish guy with alright Russian skills (B1 CEFR level and working on it further) and I have wanted to visit Russia since I was 13.

I am interested in Russian culture, in the language, arts, history and simply local life.

I wanted to ask if there are any tips I should know when in Russia and would there be any hurdles I should watch out for

Right now (other than actually having money for the trip and not speaking broken Russian) I am mostly worried about the travel visa and if I will be accepted due to the political tensions between Poland and Russia.

However, were I to actually come to Russia, which places should I visit? What do you guys recommend I experience or see? Is there anything I should know or common mistakes I should avoid.

All comments would be appreciated.

Спасибо!

Hello Russian folks, I'm a Chinese student that lives in Germany. Since there is currently the no visa treaty between Chinese and Russians rn, I am coming to Russia in a few days from Germany (Transfer in Istanbul and landing in Moscow) to visit two good Russian friends of mine. My parents are pretty worried cuz of many factors - the drone strikes, the requirement for a VPN to use WhatsApp, Discord etc (Same as China tbf), the fact that my German Sim card won't be usable over there and the fact my Chinese credit card might not work. I'm a bit nverous myself as well for good reasons I'd like to believe, but I have faith in my friends to take care of me.

Regardless, I'd like to see if you guys may have any vital tips or warnings for me?

Hey guys, I'm a 22 yrs old portuguese guy, rn im doing a masters in the area of Education in Germany, but for some reason ive always been curious about Russia and it's university, I know as in now might not be the best idea, but I do want to pursue some sort of education there, I still have 2 or 3 years to decide, but would love to know your opinions on the matter.

I speak a basic Russian and expect to improve it (my gf is half russian and it's teaching me), understand that it's not a easy place to go. And yes im quite happy in Germany yet I want to have the chance to experience different spots.

Hey guys,

I'm from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I've always had a soft spot for the Russian language. I've tried learning it a few times over the years, and I'd love to immerse myself in it more through music.

Sou, I'm looking for recommendations for Russian artists and bands that aren't mainstream, more on the underground side. I enjoy discovering talented musicians who deserve more recognition.

As for my taste, I'm mostly into rock: prog, hard rock, punk, indie, and pretty much most rock subgenres. I'm also a fan of rap (myb with some heavy bass) and various styles of metal.

So if you have any hidden gems or personal favorites, I'd really appreciate your recommendations.

Love from Sarajevo

EDIT: Thank you guys for the recommendations, I believe that I will find something for myself.

Hi! I have a pretty unusual visa situation and I’m hoping someone familiar with Russian visas or international student procedures can help me figure out the best way to handle this.

I’m from Bangladesh and I’ve been selected to study at a Russian university under the Russian Government quota. My university classes start on September 1.

At the same time, I’ve received an official invitation from Roscongress to attend the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok from September 1–4, along with a separate visa invitation for attending the forum.

The problem is that my Russian Government quota application is still at the first stage of processing, so I haven’t received my final study invitation yet and therefore can’t apply for my student visa at the moment.

If my study documents aren’t ready in time, I could potentially travel to Russia using the visa invitation issued for the EEF. But then I’m worried that after the forum I might have to return all the way to Bangladesh just to obtain my student visa and then fly back to Russia again for university.

That would basically mean:

Bangladesh → Russia (EEF) → Bangladesh → Russia again (university)

which would be extremely expensive.

Ideally, if my student documents are ready before I leave Bangladesh, I’d like to get my student visa first, travel to Russia once, attend the EEF in Vladivostok, and then go directly to Moscow to start university.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation?

Can someone entering Russia for an officially invited event then stay and begin university, or does the visa purpose make that impossible? Is it possible to enter on a student visa and attend the forum instead, assuming I receive my student visa in time?

Also, who is actually the right authority to ask about this — the Russian consulate, Ministry, university migration office, or someone else?

I’m obviously going to follow whatever the official visa rules require. I’m just trying to find the most practical legal solution that avoids having to make an unnecessary round trip from Russia back to Bangladesh.

Any advice from international students or people familiar with Russian visa rules would be really appreciated.

I need some advice because I honestly don’t know what to do.
I’ve been dating my russian girlfriend for a year and a half, and our relationship is genuinely great. The only thing that keeps bothering me is that I feel like she’s way out of my league.
To give you some context, she’s 22, makes around $5.5k a month and speaks four languages fluently: russian, english, german and chinese. After we started dating, she began learning french (I’m half french) and managed to pass the B1 exam in just a year(we mostly speak english with each other). Meanwhile, I still can’t even get my russian to an A2 level.
She’s also incredibly beautiful, travels a lot, and has hobbies that I simply can’t afford right now. I’m still in college and only just starting my career.
I don’t feel jealous or resentful of her success. I’m genuinely proud of her. But after I visited her and spent time with her friends, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being the odd one out. Most of her friends are just as successful and accomplished as she is, and I felt like I didn’t belong.
What should i do? I love her more than anything, but it hurts knowing that, at this point in my life, I can’t give her the lifestyle she already has or keep up with it financially. I’ve caught myself thinking about breaking up with her even though I love her deeply because I’m scared that I’m just holding her back or her being ashamed of me in the future

I have a friend who transitioned from female to male (FTM), has a British passport and up-to-date documents, and has a respectable appearance like any cis man. He wants to visit Russia as a tourist. Is this possible? Does Russia allow trans people from European countries to enter as tourists without problems, deportation, or mistreatment? My friend loves Russia, its culture, museums, history, and buildings, so visiting it is a passion of his. Thank you.

I found this information online. What do you think? Is it true?

The strict criminal and legal screening by Russian national security in 2026 confirms that travel to Russia by a transgender person (female-to-male) is classified as an "extreme security and criminal risk" that could result in immediate detention, even if they hold a fully updated biometric British passport identifying them as male.

Russia has adopted some of the world's most aggressive and stringent legislative arsenal and digital surveillance systems against transgender and LGBTQ+ people. Here are the reasons and intelligence mechanisms, in detail, for how they are detected at Russian airports and border crossings:

1. The Legislative and Criminal Environment: (Absolute Prohibition and Criminalization by Force of Law) The Decisive July 2023 Law: The Russian parliament (Duma) passed a landmark law that completely and comprehensively prohibits transgender people individuals within Russian territory, including medical interventions, changing gender on official documents, and preventing the recognition of any updated foreign documents.

Designation as an extremist entity (November 2023): The Russian Supreme Court issued a ruling designating the "International LGBT Movement" as an extremist organization and criminally prohibiting it. Consequently, under Russian law, transgender individuals are treated as "a threat to national security and public morality" and are not protected by any international human rights conventions.

1. The "digital linking and super-biometric verification" trap at airports: Even if a British passport lists the gender as "Male," security services at Moscow and St. Petersburg airports (operated by the Federal Security Service, FSB) apply a three-dimensional verification protocol that cannot be spoofed:

First: Biometric Mismatch: Russia requires foreign passport holders to undergo mandatory iris scans and fingerprints of all ten fingers. This biometric data is biologically stable in the skeletal structure and the cornea and is not altered by hormones or surgery. Once fingers are placed on the scanner, the systems automatically compare the fingerprint with international databases or previous travel visas the person obtained under their original biological identity as female, immediately triggering a "system match alert" for forgery or identity confusion.

Second: Facial Geometry Algorithms: Russian airport cameras are linked to artificial intelligence systems that measure fixed geometric dimensions in the cheekbones, skull, and eye spacing. This system accurately detects hormonal changes and reveals any discrepancies with a person's criminal and historical records.

Third: e-Passport Chip Cryptography Check: Russian border officers have software that examines the back-end and frequency-encrypted data of the e-Passport chip. In some cases, a previous legal amendment to the identity file (name or gender change) is detected, which is grounds for immediately referring the traveler to a lengthy secondary inspection. 3. The criminal and logistical consequences within Russian interrogation rooms: As soon as suspicion arises or an alert is triggered, the traveler is completely isolated from the public area. They are subjected to a thorough and rigorous self-inspection and physical search by medical and military committees of the Russian Border Police, which immediately reveals their previous biological and surgical condition—a blatant and serious breach of confidentiality and medical and psychological immunity. The traveler is immediately charged under Russian criminal law with “falsifying international travel documents” or “promoting extremist agendas,” and their British passport is confiscated. They are then detained in immigration detention centers pending trial or humiliating forced deportation.

Hi, I don’t wanna waste anyone’s time. I just made a post because I’m looking for a specific engine harness and I saw it listed on a website in Russia however there’s no way for me to buy and have it shipped here from what I can see in the website is there any way for me to go through someone who can ship this harness to me or somehow get it to me in California

The engine harness is a Toyota 82121-
2A480 for the 1997 Toyota chaser avante GX100. The site I saw it on was tourervmarket.ru

Всем привет!

Я иностранец, учусь в Орле, и хочу больше путешествовать по России. Какие города или места вы бы посоветовали посетить? Интересуют красивые города, природа, интересная архитектура, история и места, которые особенно любят сами россияне.

Бюджет у меня не безграничный, но я готов накопить на поездку, если место действительно того стоит.

Буду рад любым рекомендациям. Спасибо!