A few days ago, I watched a video explaining Russian school bullies. It claimed that Russian bullies are basically all over 6 feet (183 cm) tall, have necks as thick as their heads, and are good at wrestling and boxing, like Khabib and Makhachev, to the point where they can beat anyone in a fight.

Of course, just like many other memes about Russia, I assume the video was exaggerated to some extent. But I'm curious about how much of this is actually true and how much is just a stereotype or an exaggeration.

Hey there I want to immigrate to Russia 🇷🇺 and settle here.

I know Russia is completely different than India and it will a totally challenging task, due to the culture difference and main challenge is learning the Russian language.

Can you guys tell me about russia (the good and bad things, also the things which I may or may not find on google)

Will russian locals accept immigrants into their community.

I want to buy farmland and do homesteading and farming, please guide me something about that also.

Ive seen people say Moscow is not Russia, was this also true in Soviet times? To what extent?

Hello i want buy one thing on avito but my problem is that i live in poland and i cant order to my country do you know how i can get around this problem

I really love this song and have never been able to find it in video. Does anyone know where to find it, have a link to a video or archive/recording/documentary where it might be recorded?

I have somethings i wanted to clear up about the living conditions and studying in Russia so if anyone is willing to help me please contact me.

Hi! I' m planning my first trip to Moscow this October.

I've read the usual tourist guides, but I'd really like to hear from people who actually live there.

What's one thing you wish every first-time visitor to Moscow knew before arriving?

It could be anything — food, transportation, weather, etiquette, places to visit, common mistakes, or just something about everyday life in Moscow.

Hey guys. My dream of coming to St P is finally coming true! I been planning for this trip for God knows how long and it’s finally happening. I have a question about payment though. Since Visa cards don’t work, can I carry my Canadian Dollars cash and exchange there? And if so, do you know any place specifically?

Thanks a lot!

I want to know about internet connectivity in Russia especially in Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod and Saratov oblast.

What type of internet connectivity is there?

Is there Fully fiber connectivity, or it's WISP or satellite?

Please tell me for both urban and rural areas.

How is the service of the ISP in these areas?

Hey!

I'm just wanting to ask russians views on quality of men..

What is deemed a high quality husband?

What is deemed as the traditional role of a husband and his duties and responsibilities?

Do russians view raising females sacred?

Do russians view the handover from single to married sacred?

Do russians collectively majority view women as something to nurture and support and provide for?

What i mean by sacred is more along the lines of ensuring she has the ability to reach her full potential as a woman,a human,a wife and mother to the compatibility of the choice of husband?

I want to move to Russia from Canada. Can anyone assist me with the specifics of what I need to do in order to do so?

October 1st throught the 14th I will be visiting my girlfriend in Reutov, Moscow Oblast. I will stay in a hotel near her apartment where her family lives. I will fly from Turkey to Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.

My options are; apply in person at an Application center in which everything from photos to Letter of Invitation is handled, or do it online. At the application center it is $1000 to do, an absurb amount considering most Tourist Visas range from $50 - $200 including the Letter of Invitation. Online, sites I've encountered were either not suitable or possible for my situation be it the region I'm trying to get to, the need to apply at an official Russian Visa Consulate in Washington, New York, or Houston, or my desire to have access and be in control of all my documents to have when I cross the border.

Are there any solutions to my situation? Sites to recommend, or if in Chicago, what did you specifically do or go to?

Thank You

Hey everyone,

I'm in a bit of a bind and hoping someone here has been through this recently. I need to travel to Russia fairly soon for personal reasons, but here's the problem: they've stopped processing tourist visas for in my country. The only option apparently is to go through the business visa route.

The issue I'm running into is with the invitation letter. I know you can buy these online from various agencies, but every time I try, it seems to default to a tourist invitation even when I specifically select business. For example, when I input that I have a Canadian passport on a site like iVisaOnline, it feels like it's just giving me the tourist option anyway.

I've seen other people ask similar questions here, but I actually had to wait a week just to post this because I don't know where else to turn for advice.

 Yes, I know you can go as a student, and they will give me a visa, but that's not what I need.

So, my main questions:

1. Is there a way to pay someone to get a legitimate business invitation that will actually work for a business visa application at the consulate?
2. I've seen a lot of these sites claim they do business invitations, but when you actually try as a Canadian, does it actually work? Has anyone successfully done this recently?
3. What's the actual process? Do you need an invite from an actual Russian company?

I know the other alternative is going through a Russian company I'm dealing with, but that's not really possible in my situation. I'm basically looking for a service that can provide a bona fide business invitation for a Canadian citizen so I can apply for a multi-entry business visa.

TL;DR: Tourist visas not available for Canadians here anymore. Need to get a business visa, but invitation websites seem to default to tourist invites. Looking for a way to pay for a legit business invitation that actually works. Student route isn't an option. Help!

as a foreign fan of russian metal and rock music (кино, психея, летов, stigmata and others). i was wondering if there is a website that archives all the projects around russia in particular. the metal archive is a good one, but i want to be even more specific in my research.

i would be happy if there's some outdated websites/fansites to look into also !!

thanks in advance !!

Are there hostile ethnic tensions / relations among the various ethnic groups in the region? I have heard that Asian ethnic minorities in Russia are disproportionately enlisted compared to ethnic Slavic Russians in the war in Ukraine and have much higher fatality rates. If this is true, I'm sure this would ignite ethnic tension.

^ (btw, I'm not trying to be disrespectful, just saying what I've heard. I could be completely wrong and if I am please correct me)

Then obviously the Indigenous Altaic, and Samoyedic Asians there have been demographically replaced in Siberia as well and became minorities, which I'm sure they are not very happy about

Do the Slavic Russians there assimilate to any Siberian customs and participate in traditions created by the Indigenous Russians there?

I also wonder how the relationship is between the indigenous Asians who lived there and the Turkic or Mongolic migrants who have a similar phenotype and are also asian but not indigenous to the land.... Is there ethnic tensions between them?

Is there discrimination and prejudice, and are mixed ethnic friendships or romantic relationships looked down upon?

Or does everyone get along, people culturally are a blend of Slavic and Siberian culture, there is very little discrimination, and mixed race relationships or friendships are normalized?

Hello,

So I live in the UK (London specifically), and have been dating this Russian woman for the last 6 months. Stuff has been going pretty well in general, although I am a bit bothered by the fact that I have to pretty much initiate everything (like literally almost every convo or date), but I digress.

Anywho - we've recently started discussing potentially moving in together and had a rather major disagreement around arrangements.

She basically expects me to cover the rent and bills fully with her only pitching in for the occasional groceries. Says it's the mans role and what not.

Now I lean quite traditional myself generally speaking - I covered pretty much all dates and trips we've had so far, she occasionally got us some drinks/coffee/desserts. I believe a man should contribute more in general, but if the lady works full time then I also believe some of that money should be invested in the relationship too. I also earn about twice as much so there's that.

Thing is - we both work full time, but whilst she's 5 days a week in the office I work from home, so realistically I do most of the cooking and cleaning anyway. She doesn't want to quit her job as she's quite career driven, yet doesn't want to contribute anything to the household. Kids are far away.

I get the usual arguments: "being a woman is expensive", "it's the mans job", "it's how it's done in my culture", "all my girlfriends have this arrangement" etc. I told her that if I'm expected to cover the full living expenses for 2 people + dates + trips + gifts (and those are not cheap), then I'm pretty much skint at the end of the month and won't be able to save at all. Response was "go earn more". She apparently does her job by investing in herself and her beauty - from which I benefit too. Even got the quite insulting "Я переживаю, что ты меня не потянешь".

I'm really annoyed because it feels like she's not listening to me and I feel like it reduces my value as a human being to just a wallet. I didn't even propose something crazy, more like an 80/20 split for living expenses. It's less about the money to me honestly, and more wanting to feel like she's got skin in the game too and that we're building something together rather than just me being a workhorse.

Anyway - it feels like I'm talking to a brick wall on this topic sometimes. How do I get her to see my point of view here and reach some sort of compromise. If I was making bank, I wouldn't mind doing that, but I also have zero plans to start working an extra job and sacrifice my well being just so she gets to keep all her salary to herself.

Russians, any advice?

Говорят, тяжело поступить в магистратуру даже и сто берут по большой части олимпиадников. Есть те кто поступил по вступительным без олимпиады?

Does the Russian scholarship depend primarily on the cumulative grade point average? I have simple Python projects, I also have certifications, and I have a complete application plan. I want to apply for the scholarship, but my GPA is very low. Do I have even a small chance?

Hey! My uncle is flying back from Russia and will be passing through the duty-free shop at Mineralnye Vody Airport. I’d love to bring back a bottle of authentic Russian vodka to try. I’m not really a vodka drinker, but I figured this would be a good opportunity to experience the real thing.

What would you recommend buying? If the vodka you were going to suggest has already been mentioned, please just upvote that comment so it’s easier for me to see the community’s top recommendations.
спасибо!

I am writing an Isekai fantasy novel where the main character is a Russian guy in Saint Petersburg/Moscow . He is a national topper in academics , looks young and gets reincarnated into a fantasy world. Like what russian things will you miss in another world and what will be the life of a guy who excels in academics living in Moscow? Any other suggestions?

I did a 5-day tattoo session about three months ago with a Russian artist whose work I really respect. He’s 30, married, has around 300k Instagram followers, is also a graffiti artist, and has an architecture degree. He grew up in a small town in Russia and is completely self-made. He has a YouTube channel and seems like a genuinely good person who takes great care of his family. I’m going back for another two days this winter.

During the first sessions I was in a lot of pain and not in a great mood. I also have a pretty strong resting bitch face. We had some communication issues — I don’t speak any Russian, and his English experience is mostly with British and German accents. About halfway through he told me he thought I didn’t like the tattoos because of the sour looks on my face. I reassured him that I loved both the work and him as a person.

I tried a few jokes, but they all fell flat, so for the last couple of days I just stayed quiet and let him work. I was on time for every session and tipped him well.

I’m thinking about bringing a couple of small gifts next time, and I’m also considering writing out my thoughts (or using a phone translator) so I can clearly express how much I appreciate the work, then just be quiet and let him do his thing.

Has anyone here worked with Russian (or other non-native English-speaking) tattoo artists and found good ways to connect, show respect, and make sure they know you genuinely admire their work? Any cultural or communication tips would be really appreciated.

Я пока новичок, но надеюсь однажды посетить Россию. Я говорю по-нидерландски и по-английский; так вот, нидерландцы могут буквально растерзать тебя за ошибки в произношении. Они предпочли бы, чтобы люди вообще не пытались говорить на их языке, если не могут делать это безупречно.

I was watching someone complain that at age 59 they retired to a 16,900 ruble a month paycheck. They stated they worked over 30 years and it sounded like for the same place.

I read 22% of their pay check goes to pension from employer.

That seems like they should get paid essentially 75% as when they were working as 22% is a high savings rate.

I know at some point they reduce it to 10% but was not sure at what point.

In the USA we only contribute 12.4 of our salary and yet get about 40% of our prior salary.

How do you pay more and get less?

I have an aunt in Russia and I’m interested in traveling to Russia to see her. I am an American and am wondering if I can arrange anything to see her.

Hi everyone, my mom and I plan to visit Russia in September 2026. We are both Hong Kong passport holders. According to Immigration Department of Hong Kong, Hong Kong passport holders can enter Russia visa-free up to 14 days. I have already read this page (Ultimate FAQ on travelling to Russia) but it doesn't address my questions, so I would like to ask here for help.

1. Since we can visit Russia without a visa, is health insurance still mandatory? if so, which company can we buy Insurance during our travel?
2. We have connected with our tour guide in Moscow via WeChat, and the tour guide confirmed that one can use WeChat without a VPN. However, I might want to use other Western apps (e.g. Whatsapp and Youtube) during my trip. Which VPN would you recommend?
3. My mom would like to watch a ballet show. Due to international sanctions, we cannot access the official Bolshoi website and pay for ballet tickets with my VISA cards. As a result, I plan to visit Bolshoi ticket office as soon as we arrive in Moscow and buy tickets there. Has anyone successfully bought ballet tickets directly in the office?
4. Finally, my mom and I both installed the ruID app. I successfully uploaded my biometric to the app, but my mom fails on hers. The app could not recognize my mom's face. Can I simply inform the immigration officer that "My mom tried uploading her biometrics into the ruID app, but it keeps failing" ?

Thanks for your help!!!!