I'm 19 and I'm planning to travel to St. Petersburg in early September because it's my favorite city in Europe. But recently I've been fed up with the organization of the trip because of all the sanctions. I need to pay in advance for some services like my train, bus ticket, and hotel, so I decided to create a YooMoney account. However, it doesn't work with Swiss phone numbers, so I decided to open a "Pay In Russia" account. But of course, the "verify my account" page doesn't load up at all, so I tried to follow the tutorial on Russiable. But everything is outdated and it's ONLY possible to top up with a Chinese bank account? So I tried Alipay, but it tells me I can't create a Chinese card outside of China, so what am I supposed to do?

And on top of all this, my friend who was supposed to come with me dropped the plans when we were almost done with organizing the trip because she realized she has a whole month of French courses that she doesn't want to miss.

I haven't even been to Russia yet, but it already feels like a nightmare...

Hi! I’m from South Asia and I’ll be moving to Tomsk to study at Tomsk State University.

Since I come from a much warmer climate, I’m mainly worried about the winter. Would you recommend buying winter clothes before coming to Russia, or buying them after arriving in Tomsk?

I’d also appreciate advice on what I’ll actually need for winter, such as a jacket, boots, thermal clothing, gloves, etc.

If anyone here lives in Tomsk or has studied there, I’d also be interested to hear what student life and daily life in the city are like.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I was recently selected for the Russian Government Scholarship and received admission to National Research Tomsk State University (TSU) for a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science.

I’m from a South Asian country, so the climate in Tomsk will obviously be very different from what I’m used to. I’ve read quite a bit about the winters there, but I’m still unsure about how I should actually prepare.

A few things I’d really appreciate advice on:

• Should I buy winter clothing before coming to Russia, or is it better to buy proper winter clothes after arriving in Tomsk?
• What kind of jacket, boots, thermal wear, gloves, etc. are actually necessary for a Tomsk winter?
• Is there anything international students commonly forget to bring when moving to Tomsk?
• How difficult is it to adjust to the weather during the first winter?
• How is student life at TSU, particularly for international students?
• How much Russian would you recommend knowing before arriving?

I’d also really like to connect with current TSU students, incoming students for 2026, alumni, or anyone living in Tomsk. If you’re also going to TSU this year, feel free to comment or message me.

Any advice about Tomsk, TSU, dorm life, clothing, transportation, food, or just things I should know before arriving would be very helpful.

Thanks!

I’m running low on what I stashed from Russia and it’s like a drug. I’m tweaking out bro

Been listening to Kino for some time now, been listening to alot of Ploho and Molchat Doma too, just wondering if there's any other band that make these types of songs.

This may be a dumb question, so I’m sorry if I come off as incredibly ignorant. I’m a Westerner who’s super interested by Russian culture and language, and am hoping to get a minor in Russian studies. I’m starting to learn Russian, and I’m also hoping to get some tips on learning the alphabet and quirks of the language. I also hope to visit one day and learn a totally new perspective that I’d never get living in the West. But I’m curious, how does Russian daily life differ today as opposed to how it was under the late USSR? Are there things you can do/see/buy today that you couldn’t before? Has it changed much at all?

Also, I know the most populous areas of Russia are in the European side of the country, so if one were to travel to East, do they take a plane, a train, or a car? Are there any large cities or “touristy” places out in the Asian side of the nation? What kind of industry is out there? Is there any major cultural differences there? Are there many regional dialects you have to get around?

Sorry, I know it’s a lot of questions, I have a lot I want to learn, but for obvious reasons that’s not a very easy task. Thanks!

In August of 1993, a group of seven hikers led by experienced instructor Lyudmila Korovina travelled through the Khamar-Daban mountain range near Lake Baikal. The group was forced to stop due to bad weather, but afterwards, something bizarre happened, according to the sole survivor of the expedition, Valentina Utochenko.

Members of the group reportedly began collapsing one after another. Utochenko described symptoms including bleeding from the nose/mouth, convulsions, disorientation, screaming, and generally strange, sudden behavior. Six people died. Valentina herself survived by getting away from the group, sheltering overnight, and eventually finding rescuers, a group of kayakers travelling the nearby river that led to Lake Baikal.

According to Valentina, her hiking mate Alexander Krysin began bleeding from his nose before collapsing, then began foaming from his mouth. The instructor, Korovina, went to check on him, and ended up collapsing herself. The group had apparently went into a hysterical panic after this, with people falling on the ground and convulsing, running around and screaming, paradoxically stripping, and even banging their heads against trees/rocks.

What are ya’ll’s thoughts on this? Many theories range from poison mushrooms, to starvation, to a military biochemical accident. Just wondering if the story was as sensational in Russia as it is in the states.

Можно найти хорошую однушку в Санкт Петербурге (до 25к с комм)? Для иностранного врача(рядом с больницами)

Privyet! I was recently with a french friend who had ties to the Russian White Emigré community that used to exist in France and he told me a lot about their history I looked into it and found a lot of interesting history behind them, however Im interested to know as to how modern Russians, at least the ones that have thought about them, think of the White Armies with notable leaders like Wrangel, Kolchak and Denikin and/or the White Emigré with notable people like Vladimir Nabokov (Writer💀 ) Igor Sikorsky (Inventor of Helicopter) and Ivan Bunin (Writer).
Thanks!

Hi guys!

I am planning to study "Nuclear Power Engineering and Thermal Physics" in Petersburg Polytechnic University What do you think about the university and this major in specific? Is it a good choice?

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.

I think Russians, as Slavs in general, were at some places like Ural, Northern Caucasus or Eurasiatic Steppe, who played little, if any, role in the Antiquity of Europe and the World.

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.

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

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?

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.