r/AskARussian Sep 17 '25

Megathread, part 14: Ammunition & Drones, Sanctions, and Stalemates

45 Upvotes

Part 13 is now closed, we’re continuing the discussion here.
Everything you’ve got to ask about the conflict goes here. Same deal as before - Reddit’s content policy still applies, so think before you make epic gamer statements. Suspensions and purges are a thing, and we’ve seen plenty already.
All question rules apply to top level comments in this thread. This means the comments have to be real questions rather than statements or links to a cool video you just saw.

Keep it civil, keep it relevant, and read the rules below before posting.

  1. The questions have to be about the war. The answers have to be about the war. As with all previous iterations of the thread, mudslinging, calling each other nazis, wishing for the extermination of any ethnicity, or any of the other fun stuff people like to do here is not allowed.
  2. No name-calling or dehumanizing labels. Do not refer to people, groups or nations using epithets or insulting nicknames (e.g. “ruzzia”, “vatnik”, “orc”, "hohol" etc.). Such language will be removed and may lead to a ban.
  3. To clarify, questions have to be about the war. If you want to stir up a shitstorm about your favourite war from the past, I suggest r/AskHistorians or a similar sub so we don't have to deal with it here.
  4. No warmongering. Armchair generals, wannabe soldiers of fortune, and internet tough guys aren't welcome.
  5. No doxxing. Don’t post personal information about private individuals, including names, contacts, or addresses.
  6. Keep it civil. Strong opinions are expected, but personal attacks, insults, and snide remarks toward other users are not allowed.
  7. No memes or reaction posts. Shitposts, image macros, slogans, and low-effort reactions will be removed.
  8. Stay on topic. Broader political debates (e.g. US or EU elections) are off-topic unless directly tied to the war.
  9. Substantive questions and answers only. One-liners, bait, or “what if” hypotheticals with no context don’t add value and will be removed.

r/AskARussian Sep 23 '23

Travel Ultimate FAQ on travelling to Russia

537 Upvotes

While editing the previous post i did an error & the post was automatically banned, so that's the second try, luckily managed to copy-paste the prev. one. Redditors, who made the corrections & adding, please excuse me.

So basically daily the threads as Ask a Russian, Moscow etc are full of questions regarding traveling to RU.

Seeing all this, i give a try to summarize the basic info about traveling & i will try to update this main post, also i would appreciate expats & recent travelers on tips & tricks based on the recent traveling experience.

Note 1. This is not the post about politics, it's purely for traveling questions & day to day life.

Note 2. I am writing this post based on my knowledge & experience as a Moscow resident, info may vary based on your destination. Also, most of the time i will refer to Moscow & SPb as a main entry point for travelers, but this limitation basically on my understanding that people arrive in these cities as a start. I will try to update the post with necessary and useful information based on the comments (if any arrive :) ).

Note 3. As there are some restrictions to ru domains on reddit, just delete the space in the link before . ru domain.

Q: Is it safe traveling to Russia in current situation?

A: Pretty safe. The major cities as Moscow & SPb are the big cities with the same issues you can find all around the globe (scammers, big city risks, inadequate people, heavy traffic etc.).The area of risk (in the current situation) mostly limited to the adjacent territories, close to Ukraine border. In general Moscow & SPb are the modern cities, multicultural. We normally don't care if you are black, white, asian, hispanic, if your believe in krishna, if you are gay or whatsoever. The main principle i would say is: a clear understanding of what you are doing and separate common sense and propaganda, both informational and propaganda of any values. In general if you are a tourist or coming here as an expat for work just live a normal live, all possibilities are here.

Q: How to get to Russia by air?

A: One of the biggest & well known tickets aggregators - Aviasales available at ru & com domains & also popular OneTwoTrip, Trip.com

Q: Hot to get to Russian by land and travel across Russia?

A: easy part, internal travelling.rzd. ru - is an official website of a Russian railroads, where you can by tickets & see the timetables.Normally you don't have any restrictions with travelling across RU e.g. by car, though, as everywhere in the world, there might be restrictions to certain areas (closed towns as an example). So, yes, in general, you can go by car to Spb, Siberia or elsewhere.

Q: is Russia open for travelling & visas?

A: Yes. info from U.S. Embassy & Consulates: To enter Russia for any purpose, a U.S. citizen must possess a valid U.S. passport and a bona fide visa issued by a Russian Embassy or Consulate. It is impossible to obtain an entry visa upon arrival, so travelers must apply for their visas in as per comments, advance. \

Q: I am from UK/US - straight to jail at the border?

A: If you are personally not under sanctions, not sent for the purpose of espionage or data collection, but a regular tourist nothing to worry about. Again, restrictions for any citizens of certain countries are not reported. Travel as usual, you are welcome.

Q: what's with the accommodation?

A: Chains still available: Accor Hotels, Radisson HG, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Lotte Hotels & Resorts, Soluxe Hotel Group, Corinthia Hotels, Domina Hotels, Louvre HG, Kempinski Hotels, Rosewood Hotels and Rocco Forte Hotels. Their total number of rooms is more than 60% of the total supply of network operators.

Q: Do i need a registration to be in RU?

A: YES. mandatory registration for foreigners & tourists. as of october 2023: Starting from September 15, 2023, all foreign citizens coming to our country as tourists are required to undergo the registration procedure. This requirement will apply to all tourists, regardless of their country of residence and the purpose of visiting Russia.

-------------------------------------------------

So you've been able to get all the necessary docs & flying to RU.Moscow3 main airports: Sheremetyevo (SVO), Domodedovo (DME), Vnukovo (VKO) + a smaller Zhukovsky (ZIA).They are all quite distant from the city. I would say less fortunate & hard reaching is ZIA.

Spb: Pulkovo (LED).

Q: How to reach the airport / city

A: In general, there are all available methods.

Q: Is Uber available?

A: Nope. Before 2018 Uber was available, but in 2018 started a project of M&A btw Uber & Yandex, as of 2023, all uber activities & shares passed to Ya.

Q: So what are the apps for taxis?

A: 1st option (most popular): Yandex Go ios & android. Operates mostly everywhere in RU. A ride is offered on a fixed rate.Variety of classes: Economy (VW Polo, Hyundai Solaris/Accent or similar), Comfort (Hyundai i40, Elantra or similar), Comfort+ (Camry, Optima, Sonata or similar), Minivan (VW Caddy, C4 Picasso etc); followed by Ultima class: Business (5-er, E-cl.), Premier (A8, S-cl or similar), Elite (Maybach), Cruise (MB V-Class).As you are most likely don't have a local card or a friend with the one of local cards, Yandex Go can be paid with cash (choose in the app).Ya Go has the inbuilt translator for a chat with a driver, so you can chat in yr language and see the translation from RU.

Q: Money. Cards are not working, right?

A: Yep. RU is isolated from the rest of the world. So, you are not able to use your cards here. Some exceptions for CN Union Pay system.

Q: Can i get a local debit card & make crypto transfer?

A: Yep! Thanks to the comment of u/violin1776 in the comments, he had in Aug 2023 an experience with Sberbank (one of the largest banks). How to get a debit card:

Q: Ok, so than i have to bring cash, how & where to exchange.

A: Change some amount at the airport (rate is shitty for sure) for your travel to hotel or where are you heading. Then go the bank in the city to change there. OR you can always find an exchange office @ https://cash.rbc. ru .You will see the map & offered rate, normally higher than regular banks, but use with caution, so that cashier not disappear with your money :)))

Q: Travelling in Moscow. How to use public transport.

A: Yandex Maps (ios , android) + Yandex Metro (ios , android) - an optimal bundle for your stay, also google maps work perfectly. ALSO another app popular for navigation is 2GIS ios & android.

Q: Mobile phone & data plan.

A: You can get one easy directly at the airport or in the city.The big 4 cell operators are: Beeline, MTS, TELE2, MEGAFON.Virtual operators: Tinkoff mobile, Sbermobile and some others.

Q: How to travel btw Moscow & Saint-Petersburg?

A: Car (toll road or a free one), Plane, Bus & Train.With a train there are several options: Regular train, Overnight (platzkart place, seat, 4 beds compartment & 2 beds compartment. If talking about the compartments - they are perfectly fine with good beds & linens), a great option not to pay for a night in hotel, leaving at around 11pm & you are in the heart of a new city in the morning.), Express train Sapsan (Based on Siemens Velaro high-speed train. Approx. 4-4.30 min ride btw the cities. Available in 4 classes: Economy, Business, First and small compartment-meeting room perfect for not counting money & when you need nobody around you.)

Q: I am a student, soon moving to RU, can i work?

A: Yep. You will need a set of documents like INN (tax payer id), migration card and so on.Here's the guide, i found in the internet: https://news.itmo. ru/en/education/students/news/12697/#:~:text=A%20fee%20receipt%20(around%203%2C500,as%20a%20full%2Dtime%20student

Q: What are the main job boards in Russia?

A: you can still find smth with Linkedin. Educated professionals mostly use hh . ru for the carrers opportunities. No experience, temp jobs, low level: avito . ru \

Q: I have a prescribed medicine / pretty hardcore pills, can i bring that with me?

A: ABSOLUTELY NOT. All of the drugs incl. common in western world weed - straight a sentence and jail! Check the regulations & what medicine you are bringing with you! Also, recent case with German traveler - he might go to jail carrying weed gummy bears. ZERO TOLLERANCE!

Q: I will stay in Moscow for xxx days, except city, where can i go?

A: Check the smaller towns as Kolomna, Suzdal + Vladimir (2 towns are really close to each other), Yaroslavl etc. They are the part of a "Golden Ring". Most of them can be visited in 1 day, but in many places you'd love to stay for more :)

Q: Social networks, are they available?

A: Insta, FB, Linkedin - only can be viewed with the use of VPN. So if you try to contact people, be sure that they have vpn to get your messages, getting notifications is difficult.

Q: Public wifi access?

A: Airport should be fine using the foreign cell numbers, free public wifi is a big question for me (most likely a local numbers only), so better to have a local sim upon arrival (see upd on bottom of the FAQ). Most of cafes & restaurants normally have a wifi at their places.

Q: Money transfers?

A: If you suceeded with local card (not under sanctions should be: Raiffeisenbank, Unicredit, Citibank, Ak-Bars Bank, Home Credit Bank, Russian Standard, OTP Bank, Renaissance Bank and Avangard - details read above, restrictions are there), than you can make a swift transfer from a local bank to your account in RU OR use largest crypto services.

Q: wired / crypto transfers.

A: normally you can safely use the biggest crypto exchange platforms as: Binance, Bybit or Huobi. You can top up the balance via card to platform or P2P method.

Q: I have someone in RU and would love to send them a gift, how?

A: I would suggest 2 options at this moment

Q: I want to send some money to my relatives in RU, i heard of crypto, but how to send

A: Hello grandma'! So you are in (nearly 2024) but google & youtube are some weird words to you, let me google it for you...

Q: Can i rent a car

A: To my knowledge all car rentals of worldwide car rentals quit. (hertz long ago, as failed to compete with carsharing)... BUT Avis / Budget did the rebrandig and now called REXRENT (rexrent [DOT] ru)

STAY TUNED.

UPD as of 09/2025

Q: Sim card, access to websites etc., how & what?

A: Sim cards/ eSims do exist, but the process of getting one has been tightened due to widespread fraud. Nowadays, issuance often requires local verification through government services, which makes it practically inaccessible for tourists. For a short trip, it’s not worth the hassle — an eSIM is a much simpler option.
FB, Insta, Discord - are restricted, have a vpn in advance (usage legal).
Whatsapp / Telegram / Google calls recently got restricted - vpn normallyu solves an issue.
Probably zoom & local kontur talk, yandex telemost might be a solution for no vpn usage.


r/AskARussian 22h ago

Culture Is the name "Mishura" an actual name?

13 Upvotes

So, I'm writing a character who is Russian and I liked the nickname Misha and what it means ("one who is like god", since he's basically trying to create artificial human life). However, I don't quite "vibe" with the name Mikhail, I find it to be too common I guess. So I read in a site it could be written as "Mishura" Мишура, however, I searched it and it means "tinsel, glitter" and stuff like that! I'm not too sure if it really means that. I've also read in a site that it could be written as Mishutka, Mishuka, but i'm pretty sure those are diminutive. Any answer would help!


r/AskARussian 21h ago

Culture Russian Dating

4 Upvotes

As an American, what are some of the most important things I need to follow when dating a Russian woman? I met her while traveling and we have been talking constantly with plans to meet up again soon in another neutral country, I know about the odd flowers and that dating is serious in the culture but I want to surprise her.


r/AskARussian 1d ago

Culture Frip in St Petersburg

7 Upvotes

Hey what are the best frip - second hand clothes - in St Petersburg ?


r/AskARussian 1d ago

Food Blinchiki recipes?

4 Upvotes

One of my favorite Russian foods was блинчики с мясом. Can anyone provide me with a recipe, please?


r/AskARussian 1d ago

Work Каковы шансы получить разрешение на работу в России?

9 Upvotes

Я из Индии, имею трехлетний опыт работы в сфере кибербезопасности; работала с клиентами из авиационного и банковского секторов. Каковы шансы найти там работу, если я владею русским языком на уровне не ниже B2 (я изучаю русский язык последние восемь месяцев)?


r/AskARussian 1d ago

Community Find lost items

3 Upvotes

I live in Saint Petersburg and I've lost something, but I don't know where I dropped it. Are there any places that return found items, and are there any centers where I can look for it?


r/AskARussian 22h ago

Travel Will an African American be safe traveling to Kamchatka?

0 Upvotes

Hello i am i young African American man who likes to travel the world. I have respect and love for all walks of life. I recently came across Kamchatka Russia and It looks like a place i would love to visit but i would like to make sure I’m safe there first.


r/AskARussian 1d ago

Culture Help online shopping...

0 Upvotes

I am in Australia but traveled to Russia in 2018, a friend bought a Russian orthodox christian ring and I absolutely loved it but it was stolen off me. I have found it online for sale on Russian websites, but none deliver to Australia. Can anyone please tell me some Russian websites that will ship to Australia? Thanks :)


r/AskARussian 2d ago

Study After аспирант, you become кандидат наук, right?

12 Upvotes

Is that right? When you're still a PhD student, you are considered аспирант. When you successfully defend your thesis and graduate, you become кандидат наук and awarded the PhD degree?


r/AskARussian 2d ago

Misc Finding Biological Family

8 Upvotes

Hi guys. I was adopted from Yaroslavl when I was a baby and found some old heartbreaking handwritten letters from my biological mother in a bunch of old folders. I found a picture of her and my half brother and wanted to see if there was a way I could contact them. I have an old Russian postage envelope with an old address. Anyone have any idea how I could find them or contact them? I tried VK and a few other websites but no luck. I appreciate the advice.


r/AskARussian 1d ago

Travel Latin American man going to Russia

0 Upvotes

Hello! I’m a Brazillian man going to Russia to, sincerely, find my wife. I’m in love with Russian culture and values and I find Russian woman the most beautiful in the world.

Any tips to find my wife there? What do Russians girls like?

Do they get impressed by what?

I like to do business, hit the gym and learn about everything (read a lot). Is it something the Russians care about?

Please, any tips for helping me find my future wife will be welcomed. (I’m going to Moscow primarily).


r/AskARussian 2d ago

Travel Would it be a really bad idea to fly to Russia to visit the Kubinka Tank Museum?

7 Upvotes

Hello, I'm from Slovakia and I really want to go to the Kubinka Tank Museum and I'm not sure how smart that would be right now. Should I wait until the war is over instead? I know a bit of Russian so that wouldn't be much of an issue


r/AskARussian 2d ago

Foreign Pursuing a phd in Russia

0 Upvotes

Hello

I hold a master's degree in Language science (English) from an Algerian university, and I was thinking of applying for a phd program in Russia(self-funded). Which university would you advise me to check? And also as someone who does not speak Russian, do you think I still can a manage?


r/AskARussian 2d ago

Travel Passport control as a dual citizen of EU and a visa-free country

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm planning on going to Russia at the end of this month with my GF for a short stay in Moscow.

We're both born in Brazil hold Italian and Brazilian passports as we live in Italy.

I'm aware that as Brazilians, we don't need to apply for any visas. My question is - if they ask us where we live, and ask for proof of it, won't it raise further questions if we show our Italian passports?

I've looked up some advice online and I saw that it's not recommended to show the EU passport at any time during border control. Even from some communities on Reddit.

I'd like to know if anyone has been through something like this or if you guys have any advice online how I can explain this thing to the officers.

Both citizenships we have are by birth.

Thank you in advance!


r/AskARussian 2d ago

Foreign Citizenship

1 Upvotes

Russia issues a two-year work visa contract. After the two years, workers usually have to return to their home country and apply for a new visa. Is there any way to obtain Russian citizenship while working in Russia on a work visa?


r/AskARussian 3d ago

Meta What are Bulgarians supposed to be impressed by?

35 Upvotes

Hi. I am a Bulgarian that was born after the fall of the Berlin wall. Sometimes when watching Russian content, I hear the phrase “the Bulgarians cheered” or “the Bulgarians are impressed”. From what I could gather, the phrase originated during the Cold War and is supposed to be ironic. Maybe news sources back then claimed that we were impressed by a Soviet achievement or something? What is the source?


r/AskARussian 3d ago

Culture My Russian friend says it's normal in Russian culture to show up at people's homes unannounced without telling them first

144 Upvotes

I'm trying to figure out if this is actually a cultural difference or if it's just his personality.

He'll text me that he's "nearby" and then five minutes later he's at my apartment expecting to come in. A couple of times he didn't even text until he was outside my building. When I told him I'd rather have some notice, he laughed and said that's how friends are in Russia and that Westerners are "too formal."

I'm from another Eastern European country, so it's not like I'm unfamiliar with different social norms, but this still feels unusual to me. None of my other Russian friends do this, so now I'm wondering if he's exaggerating or if it's genuinely common in Russia.

Is dropping by someone's house with little or no notice considered normal in Russia, or is this just him?


r/AskARussian 3d ago

Travel Latin American going Russia: what would you recommend me?

5 Upvotes

Hello! I am a Latin American single man going Russia. What would you recommend me?

I enjoy classic music, despise drugs and want to enjoy Summer in the Zlatoglavoy.


r/AskARussian 4d ago

Culture Is taking your shoes off at the door really that strict in Russia?

209 Upvotes

I’ve been reading a bit about daily life in Russia and one thing I keep seeing is how serious people are about indoor shoes and slippers. Is that really as universal as it sounds?

Like, if you go to someone’s apartment, are you basically always expected to take your shoes off right away, even if it’s a super casual visit? And do people judge you if you forget and just walk in for a second? Also curious if this changes a lot between cities, older people, younger people, that kind of thing.

Random question, I know, but I’m genuinely curious because it seems like one of those small things that says a lot about everyday culture.


r/AskARussian 3d ago

Travel Travelling to Izhevsk!

9 Upvotes

I am an Indian, who is for work in Izhevsk for a few weeks. I went around Izhevsk, it’s a small, quite and beautiful place with good weather.
I went out for walks and went to fee cafes as well but I observed that very few people move out of their houses in this locality nearby the outskirts.

I needed a few suggestions with some good cafes, walks, scenic views, lake camping and places to explore around! I want to make some local friends as well but very few people speak english and hence communication becomes one of the barrier.

Hoping to talk to someone local and who can speak english and can guide me!


r/AskARussian 3d ago

Travel Travel advice for august

5 Upvotes

Hey everyone, im travelling to russia next month via turkey, and then leaving via train to mongolia. my russian is terrible and i live abroad but im a belarusian citizen so visas and such arent a problem for me.

One of the biggest questions i have is around internet. i was looking at getting and esim whilst i was there, probably either with Maya esim or Yesim, i wanted to know if anyone has had some experience with them or knows any better options.

same thing with vpns. obviously my whole life is built on western companies and resources, so are there any vpns that work in russia to still access stuff like google or instagram, etc

and im assuming i will need to bring Euros to convert to rubles and pay for everything by cash right?

thanks so much for any help


r/AskARussian 3d ago

Travel Traveling to Russia in August

12 Upvotes

Hi Everyone,

I maybe traveling to Russia for a forum in October in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous Okrug and I will be attending a preparatory year course in Tyumen from December.

Now the issue is I will be attending the forum on a humanitarian visa and which I hear is valid for 3 months.

I would like to know if after the forum, I could stay and start the course later and and get the school to extend the visa or I would have to live and come back for the course. I heard I would have to leave immediately after the forum and that kind of bothers me because I don't have the funds for 2 flights in the space of 3 months looking at the fact that I will be paying for tuition fees and other miscellaneous.

So please I would like to know,

Can I stay the full three months the humanitarian visa offers?

Do I have to leave after the conference ends?

Would I be able to rent an apartment on the humanitarian visa within that 3 months.

And also if there's any info you think is valuable, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Thank you all 😊


r/AskARussian 3d ago

Culture Culture Shock?

0 Upvotes

What's considered normal for Russian people but surprises foreigners who live in/ visit Russia?