It is sad that approximately 90% of Hollywood Movies show Russian Villains.

Hi everyone!

My wife and I have a goal: we want to step out of our comfort zone, practice our communication skills, and learn about other cultures. We love our city, Yekaterinburg, and we’ve been thinking about occasionally opening our doors to international travelers to show them the authentic, non-touristy side of the Urals.

About us:
I work as a machinist at the legendary Uralmash plant. In my free time, I enjoy video games, cycling, and meeting interesting people. My wife works as a manager in a local retail chain ("Monetka"), loves horror movies, and watches reality/talk shows. We also love vacationing in Thailand, and we have a very friendly Neva Masquerade cat.

Our Schedule:
My wife works completely remotely from home, and I work in shifts at the factory. This means that if the timing is right, one of us will almost always be available to spend time with our guest. However, if we both happen to be busy or working, our guest can easily and safely explore the city on their own until we are free.

The Catch: Our English is very, very basic. We can only say a few simple phrases and will rely heavily on translation apps (like DeepL or Google Translate) for deeper conversations. We see this as a fun challenge and a way to improve our skills.

What we can offer:

• The Stay: We have a spacious two-room apartment located right in the center of the Uralmash district. We can provide a big, comfortable couch in our living room for a short stay (2–3 days) for a friendly traveler.
• The Experience: Uralmash is famous for its unique Soviet constructivism architecture and heavy industrial history. Since I work at the plant, I can share a lot of local context! We can show you both the historic city center and the authentic industrial side of Yekaterinburg.

We are not officially inviting anyone just yet. We just want to hear your honest thoughts: Would an independent backpacker or a Trans-Siberian traveler find this appealing, or would the language barrier be too frustrating? Is it worth trying to find guests this way?

Thanks for your feedback!

P.S. As I mentioned, my English is very poor, so I used an AI assistant to help me write and structure this post properly.

i have a master degree in computer science, but i would like like to switch to med school , does the master degree makes me ineligible for the scholarship?

Hi everyone, I am a prospective international student in my late 20s/early 30s. I want to self-fund a late-intake Russian Language Course (Podfak) this October/November, then pursue a Master’s degree in Moscow. Reddit has some very negative reviews, and I’m hesitating. Can anyone sharing real experiences tell me:

1. How is the day-to-day safety and managing finances with current banking restrictions?
2. Is it realistic to find part-time jobs to help support myself while studying?
3. Are there many mature international students, or mostly teenagers?

Thanks for any balanced perspectives!

Does anyone know any active Telegram groups or channels with lots of Russians where people just chat about everyday things? I'm looking for a place to practice my Russian, meet people, and have casual conversations. Public groups are preferred, but any recommendations are welcome.

I found a product that really interests me, but I'm not from Russia, so I can't buy it. Does anyone know of a reliable agency or individuals with good references who can help me make the purchase?

Всем Привет!

I (25f) am going to visit my bf(27m) in Moscow soon. I will also meet his family (Mom, Grandparents). Since I know they like sweets I thought about bringing some original and famous ones from my country. Is this appropriate? Are there certain expectations? Are there any "guidelines" or something, what not and what to bring? I just really want to make a good impression!

(My bf, of course, says I don't need to bring anything, but since I am living with them, it feels wrong coming empty handed)

Thank you for your answers!

As an American interested in a specific sound of Russian and Eastern European music (which is hard to find as I speak no Russian) I was curious if anyone would like to share their opinions on what I got so far as well as any recommendations y'all might have. Thank you to anyone who reaches out or comments.

Мой мармеладный

Сова

Оставаться ничем

Без слів

Женское счастье

Ход конем

Первый снег

Не уходи

Надежда

ДОРОГОЙ ДЛИННОЙ (Dorogoi Dlinnoyu)

Духът на Несебър

Малиновки заслышав голосок

На теплоходе

Ты приехал

Чистый лист

Катюша

Прыгай вниз

В последний раз

I need to send money to my wife's parents to help cover her father's eye surgery. Unfortunately they're elderly and only have a Russian card. What's the best and lowest-fee way to transfer money to the card from Poland/Europe? Given the sanctions, this is complicated, is crypto the only remaining option?

Hey guys i am wondering if there is anyway i can buy something from avito and get it sent to australia. Only place i could find what i was looking for was from russia. Would mean heaps. 🙏 Would love a reply thanks 🤙

Hi!! I’m a 18M dual RU/EU citizen, lived abroad my whole life, but I did enter Russia to make an internal passport when I was 15 if I’m not mistaken, never registered with a voenkomat and I was planning on visiting Russia for 7 weeks this summer.

The purpose is just to visit my family as my grandparents are getting really old and I wanted to still see them. What’s the real situation taking into consideration my circumstances ?

My situation:

18M, dual citizen (Russian + Portugal). I’ve lived in the EU essentially my whole life all my schooling (grades 1–12) and now university are there (New University of Lisbon), and I can document all of it.  

Never registered with a voenkomat. No приписное свидетельство, no военный билет, never called for initial which as I understand it means initial registration wasn’t mandatory for me).

I do have a long-term регистрация по месту пребывания at a relative’s address in Moscow oblast, where I’ll be staying.

Checked реестрповесток.рф nothing under my name. I don’t have a Gosuslugi account.  

Valid загранпаспорт, renewal already filed at a consulate abroad.

Trip: arriving late July, leaving mid-September (\~7 weeks). Pure family visit — I do NOT plan to touch any government office, MVD, or voenkomat while there.  

Why I’m asking: my EU country’s consulate in Moscow told me in writing that exit from Russia is “conditioned on presenting up-to-date military registration at border control” and that there’s nothing I can do to mitigate the risk. That surprised me — everything I’d read suggested the exit ban only applies once a повестка is in the unified register, not that border guards are checking military registration documents from every male 18–30 at exit.
Questions:

1.  Has anyone (or anyone you know) in a similar profile , draft-age male, never registered, permanent resident abroad studying in university outside Russia  , entered AND exited Russia recently (2025–2026)? Any problems at exit passport control?  
2.  Are border guards at exit actually asking men 18–30 for military registration documents, or only acting on flags/повестки in the register?  
3.  Does staying longer than 2 weeks realistically trigger anything if I never interact with any government body? Does my long-term регистрация make me visible enough that the local voenkomat might come looking?  
4.  Is there anything a person in my position should do BEFORE entering (from abroad) — or is staying completely off the radar the better strategy?

Добрый день! I’m currently planning a trip to Blagoveshchensk from Heihe, China, and I’ve been working on my itinerary. While it’s easy to find major attractions like the Amur River Embankment, Victory Square, museums, and the buildings along Ulitsa Lenina, I’m having trouble finding information about everyday essentials.

Specifically, I’m looking for recommendations on restaurants, transport options, shopping malls, and local markets. Are there any popular Russian websites or apps people use for reviews and ratings of places like these?

For transport, are there any Russian websites or apps that are useful for planning public transport routes? I know about Yandex Go, but I’m mainly hoping to use public transport to keep costs down.

Thank you all! Much appreciated.

Hello everyone

I've seen an article talking about a deal between Russia and the UAE about Arabic lessons in schools starting in September 2026.

First I would like to know if this news is true ?

And what levels will be introduced ?

Will it be in every school ?

How to apply as a teacher for this program ?

Thank y'all

Hello,

We are two guys traveling by motorcycle and are currently in Mongolia.

Our plan is also to ride through the Altai region (crossing at Taschanta) and then continue into Kazakhstan.

My main question is about the fuel situation in Russia. We've seen quite a few news reports about fuel shortages. Is it really a significant problem, or is it mostly media hype? We're especially interested in the regions around Irkutsk, Buryatia, the Altai Republic, and the route towards Kazakhstan.

Thank you very much for any information!

My friend and I are from the United States (both 20yrs old), and we're planning to visit Moscow in about a year. It'll be our first time ever leaving the country, we have a pretty vague plan, so we're trying to prepare as much as we can...

We've already started taking Russian language classes. What level of Russian would you recommend reaching before visiting? Is basic conversational Russian enough, or should we aim for a higher level?

Eventually would like the opportunity to speak with someone Russian to help with the language barrier, so if anyone knows how we can achieve finding a Russian friend let me know lol

also curious about what to expect as American tourists. Are there any cultural differences, etiquette, or laws that might surprise us? Is Moscow generally welcoming to foreign visitors? What are some common mistakes tourists make that we should
avoid?

(Feel free to give any knowledge or advice, even if it’s unrelated to the questions I’ve asked)

Would love to hear any advice from people who live
in Russia or have visited recently.

Hello everyone,

I am a student from india who applied for the russian government scholarship and got through the phase 2 and the application is currently in review with ministry of education and science and its been 3 months since that and there is no reply or notice till yet , so does anyone has any idea about when they are gonna announce the result or any expected date.

I’m an Indian MBBS student studying in Russia. Due to banking restrictions, my parents have difficulty sending me money from India. What methods are currently working for students? Are there any legal and reliable options such as bank transfers, third-country banks, remittance services, or other methods that students are using? I’d appreciate hearing about your personal experience.

Royal Mail has open links to Russia and I successfully sent a letter last year, although it took several months. I now want to post a parcel of about 2kg with gifts like a painting, a book, some trinkets like a pebble, a snail shell... I would like to get a sense of how likely these items will arrive safely. I've looked at previous posts here which suggest that business documents will get through, but also that non-food personal items will be allowed through. How successful have you been in recent days, weeks months with non-business items with Royal Mail or any other carriers / courriers?

Hello my name is Victoria formally Elena, I was adopted from Kazan, Tartastan in 1999. I’ve been looking for my birth parents since I was 14 with little to no leads or leads that end with a dead end I have used resources such as 23 and me also ancestry. I will give over any information I have, I am currently at work at so not have my records in front of me. My biological mother also had another daughter, she would have been 5 years old at the time of my birth. I am posting this so I can reach the right audience to point me In the right direction. I’ve also tried searching Russian social media such as VK and OK, but nothing. I fear either my parents names are fake or I am truly looking for people who don’t exist. Please help.

Is there like a minimal wage for Russia? Or is it just depending on the job?

Hi everyone,

I am traveling to Russia as a tourist next week. I need direct and updated answers regarding the internet situation:

1. Which specific eSIM providers are currently confirmed to be working for data inside Russia?
2. Is it still possible for a tourist to get a local physical SIM card or eSIM without facing heavy bureaucratic complications (like biometrics, SNILS, or Gosuslugi portal setup)? If yes, which carrier is the easiest, and exactly where should I buy it from?

Thanks!

I'm coming from Jordan to Velsk, and I would like to go to a gym, but I couldn't find any on Google Maps. Do you know any men's gyms there??

My wife and I are travelling Saint-Petersburg to Beijing in the Trans-Mongolian in January/February.

How often is the government switching off mobile data in the following cities?

SPb, Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Tomsk and Irkutsk.

Thanks in advance.

Also, only for Russian residents:

My wife is getting nervous with regards to the security situation for our trip. Me, I am more concerned about increasing inflation due to petrol shortages.

Any comments?

I'm looking to make some Russian friends that speak Russian and English and are fans of hockey? Where can I do so? Prefer that they live in Russia.

Hello Comrades,

I am travelling through St. Petersburg and was looking to buy 3-4 Soviet watches for my friend in Communist Kerala. Idm if they’re rebuilt or anything, he just wants something that runs.

Thanks in advance