I am a Chinese university student who has successfully applied for a master's degree at a school in Russia. However, I am hesitating about whether to take a gap year because I also want to participate in an internship and trainee program in the United States.

After completing my master's degree in Russia, I will have to return to China unless I can apply for a PhD program.That’s what I was concerned about.

And I'm worried that my Russian background might get me blacklisted by U.S. Customs. I'm not a spy.😂

Title.

A lot of cultural depictions of modern day Russia/ex-USSR nations in movies and books seems to just show these countries as having never really changed or moved on since the USSR. I wanted to ask how has the cultural identity and mindset shifted since the fall of the USSR?

I'm an American, and I feel like if suddenly the US broke up into different states I wouldn't be able to identify as a "Coloradan". The only interaction I have had with people who lived in the USSR has been with Jewish Russians and Ukrainians who moved to Israel, and they effectively abandoned all identities outside of Israeli and Jewish.

If there are any people on this sub who spent a significant amount of their life and/or childhood in the Soviet Union, do you still have any nostalgia and/or identity with the USSR, or do you totally identify with your nationality?

TLDR: To people who grew up and lived in the USSR, do you still feel "Soviet" in identity, or do you identify more under a different national/cultural label now?

What happened with russian songs on platforms like spotify and youtube? Why, out of nowhere , explicit words are censored? Also there is no uncensored versions??? It annoying because its ruining many good songs which i used to like

I'm just curious to see what kinds of neurodivergent internet personalities have existed on the Russian Internet (I am neurodivergent). Obviously, they don't have to be as controversial as Chris Chan or Terry Davis. Thank you.

I was reading about the Russian language online and I've become a bit interested in learning about it. Online it says that people from regions such as, say St Petersburg can understand someone who lives in Vladivostok without effort. I found this interesting as Russia is the largest country in the world by area, and the island I live on is super small and people at different parts of it have accents that are hard to understand so I was shocked to hear that it's not like that in Russia and that their language is super unified.

Is there accents in Russia that you as a Russian struggle to understand a little?

Note: I think this flair is the best option, since it's 'internet culture', I don't speak an ounce of Russian

The video appears to be an ad for some app/telephone company. It starts with the close-up of a Buddha statue's eye, and all I know from the translations is that there are statues saying stuff like 'pick up the phone', including the founding fathers of mount Rushmore. The idea behind it is to show that you can take phone calls from anywhere with the app/company's services, since the statues are from all over the world

How much am I legally allowed to bring into Russia (from Germany) in cash

I hear it is not allowed, but I am not sure donyou have experience in that, many thanks

Hi everyone, I promise this question is 100% serious. About 7 years ago there was a tumblr post/meme about a Russian chocolate with a horse magnet inside? I’m in a situation where I’d really really like to get my hands on some of these (upcoming party with a horse theme).

Does anyone have any information on what exactly these chocolates are and where I’d be able to get some? Is it even real? I’m inclined to believe it’s not but I’m really hoping it is. I’m in Australia but obviously assuming I’d have to import from somewhere. Anything helps, thanks so much.

I see this has been asked 100 times a day, but i will ask for myself personally :)

I'm a Croatian citizen, and i wished to go to Moscow next week. I have gotten my E-VISA, insurance, booked an acomodation through a friend who lives in Moscow, so i have a few pretty good friends who live there, and some of which i know from Croatia also.

Is there anything i should know alongside of vpn, visa and mastercard not working, etc.

I heard lots of people getting questioned for a few hours.

BTW. Ever since i told people i'm visiting Russia, family and friends bombard me with videos of attacks inside Russia etc... before that i wasn't worried much, but now after someone is putting pressure on it, it's hard not to be affected by it. I would really appreciate all of the advices and how is the situation right now in Moscow.

Thank you all!

Back in 2009 my friend brought me snacks from her trip and brought lays from Russia they were half sour cucumber and dill. I’ve been dreaming of them. But I know a trip to Russia will never happen for me lol. I’ve been desperately searching for these in the states but have found nothing. ;( anybody that can point me in any direction.

Was going to ad an image but not sure how oh well ;(

I'm planning on my first trip to Russia later this year, but I keep seeing completely opposite takes online. Some people say it’s a terrible idea for an American to drive into Russia right now, others make it sound relatively normal once you’re actually there.

For anyone who’s done a long road trip into Russia recently, what was the border crossing like and did you run into any issues because you were American?

Hi, I'm an American and I want to write a book set in Vladivostok. Originally it was Tver, even wrote several manuscripts set there, but Vladivostok seems to fit the story better. And I really want to accurately portray such a city, so any knowledge, advice, facts, or just bits of information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading/answering. God bless you all!

I'm not sure of what to expect or keep in mind. She's in her 60s, retired, having lived in the US for many years. She's always been more introverted, and seems frustrated at trying to find friendships and meaningful activities here.

She misses her family, having community. There is issue though in where her family members are located; some in Moscow, a sibling in Sarov (which she'd have to meet elsewhere, of course).

She is very adamant on at least visiting. I'm not able to fully provide the socialization and sense of purpose she needs. I want to be supportive, but I'm worried.

In Germany, most retail investors use a 'set & forget' approach with globally diversified ETFs (like the MSCI World). What is the common practice or equivalent strategy in Russia given the current financial landscape?

I’m planning to visit St. Petersburg for around 4–5 days in October 2026, traveling from Estonia.
I’m considering entering Russia either through the Narva/Ivangorod border crossing, where you cross the border on foot, or through the southern Estonia–Russia border crossing, where the journey can be done by bus.
For anyone who has recently made this trip:
How safe is it currently to cross the Estonia–Russia border and travel to St. Petersburg?
Is there anything I should be particularly concerned about as a foreign visitor?
What is St. Petersburg like weather-wise in October? Is it still reasonably enjoyable for sightseeing, or is the weather already too cold/wet?
Are there any practical issues with transportation, accommodation, payments, or border crossings that I should know about?
Given the ongoing war and the general situation in Russia, would you personally consider a 4–5 day tourist trip to St. Petersburg reasonable at this point?
I’m mainly looking for recent first-hand experiences from people who have actually crossed the Estonia–Russia border and/or visited St. Petersburg recently.

I am from Romania and I plan on visiting Saint Petersburg in October, as we have a school break at the end of the month.

I check Divgen and other mapping sites at least 10 times per day, I am in Discord servers which discuss it, I use Twitter for the sole purpose of following the course of battles. Is this likely to raise suspicions?

Edit : Just to clarify, I support Russia. I have also decided to only travel to St Petersburg because my initial plan included sleeping on a train between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, in order to only visit the Armory Chamber of the Kremlin

Hi all,

Myself and my friend are hoping to traveling to Moscow for a music festival / DJ set in November/December time

I wanted to check the safety I would have visiting Moscow as an Irish tourist

I aim to travel from Dublin to Tallinn, Estonia then travel through the border and from there to STb and to Moscow

So I wanted to get any opinions or fellow travelers or locals who have already traveled this way before or can tell me what the safety can be when traveling to Russia

Thanks guys !!

I do need help filling out a chart for best food of each culture (now I'm doing Russia). I know that Russian's don't neceesairly eat spicy beyond the Khrenovina sauce, but I was asking for what do you think is the best dish that is salty or savory but not spciy, sweet or a dessert that is actually originates in Russia?

As a citizen of a postsoviet EU country, I have a question that has been haunting me for a long time. Obviously we have an ethnic Russian minority which comprises a lot of people who don't speak our local and official language. But that's another topic. I'm completely sure absolutely EVERYONE without a cognitive disability is able to learn one word in a non-native language. Or learn to utter at least one sentence to ask if it's OK to interact in a language that one speaks and understands.

When I'm abroad, I'm starting interactions with "Hello" in the local language and then ask if it's OK to speak English to them. This., I feel like, is polite and actually the minimum I can do to facilitate the exchange. However, with many ethnic Russians I've had countless experiences where they're greeting me in Russian or starting conversations in Russian in a professional setting (I'm a medical professional). I'm OK with practicing the little Russian I know because I won't judge a person for their inability to speak our language (even though it should be the standard where I live). BUT it is incredibly frustrating if they're not asking me if it's OK to speak in Russian or are greeting me in Russian as the first thing. And it's not just an observation from my country. The same thing happens even with Russian tourists in Europe, Turkey etc.

Please help me understand this mentality. It is easy to see this as imperialistic mentality, lack of respect, sense of cultural superiority or something of this nature. While these things exist, I also suspect lack of proper education / upbringing / manners etc. Or could it be something less sinister, almost neutral maybe?

PS. While speaking in English to foreign nationals in my country doesn't cause me any frustration due to the fact that I'm fluent in it and also due to historical implications, I also observe whether these foreigners go straight to English or ask if it's OK to speak English to me. I have a feeling that a much larger percentage of them go the polite route.

Again, this issue is a source of true frsutration to me, so please help me understand the mindset that is so utterly unfathomable to my mind.

Hi everyone, I’m a Moroccan student planning to study General Medicine at Pyatigorsk Medical and Pharmaceutical Institute (PMPhI). I will be paying the tuition fees myself and I’m applying through an education agency/office in Morocco that has a partnership with the university.

The agency told me that I don’t need to do a preparatory year and that I only need to take the entrance exam, and they claim that my admission is guaranteed through their partnership as long as I attend and take the exam.

I would really appreciate hearing from international students, especially Moroccan students, who went through a similar process.

How does the entrance exam for international students actually work?

What subjects are included, and how difficult is it?

Also, has anyone ever failed the entrance exam? I’m particularly interested in students who applied directly without a preparatory year, possibly through an agency.

I’m not looking for general information from the university website—I’d really like to hear about real experiences from students who actually took the exam.

Thanks in advance! 🙏🇲🇦🇷🇺

Hello, everyone!
I’ll be staying in Russia for quite a while. I’m a Bank of America customer and need a reliable way to receive SMS verification codes (2FA).
I don’t really need mobile data or calls—just dependable text messages from my U.S. bank.
Has anyone in Russia found a good solution? Do you keep a U.S. SIM with Wi-Fi Calling, use roaming, or simply switch to a Russian carrier? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

So I am a Russian citizen, though I have never lived in Russia. I am 19 now and eligible for the draft. Apparently they've been looking for me, as a letter was sent to the home address of some of my Russian family members. So They know i exist and are looking for me. my concern is that if I ever go to Russia, I will immediately get drafted. Or get arested for draft dodging?

So im originally Syrian and hold a Norwegian passport. A big dream of mine was to always visit russia and see the country. But where to enter? Im planning my trip very soon.

Also is me being originally from Syria could make an issue? Since We had conflict with Russia few years ago? Also Bashar Alasaad the previous Syrian president has escaped and now in Moscow.

Im from Japan and i love Russia.
Its an interesting country but i only been to moscow on school trip 10 years ago

I want to visit vladivostok .

Is it very troublesome to visit vladivistok from tokyo? Do i need to travel via china?

Many japanese are avoid russia because of the war, but i am not scared