Putin says the 2020 elections were stolen by mail in ballots.
(www.reuters.com)
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I’m an American anon who moved to Russia just before covid, available for questions if you’d like. I consider myself a patriot of both countries.
Is Russia like a 3rd-world country or is it nice?
Are the governing bodies (police, judges, politicians etc) very crooked or do they have integrity?
Do people get "disappeared" for disagreeing with the government?
Are the laws / punishments for crime fair and just?
Do the people seem happy overall?
How is the jobs market?
How do Russians view the west? How do they view China? The middle east?
How is the economy?
Are most Russians alcoholics or is that a false stereotype?
What about recreational drugs?
How is the healthcare system?
How do Russians view Putin? Trump?
Are there more liberals or conservatives in Russia?
It’s not a rich country but we call it a 1.5th-world country. Lots of culture and civilization make it vastly nicer than the US in many of the ways the US society has gotten really screwed up.
There’s more open corruption in places but by the same token there’s not this strict rule following to the detriment of society. People say there are three kinds of public officials: corrupt, strict rule followers (like nearly everyone in the US), and compassionate.
This thing about people disappearing is a western fabrication. I’m sure the oligarchs do some gangster things but it’s not something any normal person would ever encounter. The level of crime is way, way lower than in the US.
From everything I am aware of, the laws and legal system are quite good, and better still, they’re working to improve them. A legislator has asked me to provide my feedback on the immigration process so it becomes easier for Americans!
There was recently a report that Russians are very happy. I believe this. I go out on errands and have to clear my anxious mind to match pitch with the healthy people around me.
Job market is not like booming but it’s not gotten worse. There’s a lot of small businesses everywhere. I sometimes feel like I’m in some sort of Ron Paul utopia in that regard. Actual free market capitalism!
This is already a long comment, but I think the mainstream Russian would be quite comfortable in most of the comment threads here at GAW. They’re fairly relieved to know that there are gatherings of sane Americans.
There’s alcohol abuse but it’s interesting: in the US people get into a drunken spiral indoors and alone. In Russia they tend to do it together and outside. Very interesting sociological difference there. That visibility gives rise to the stereotype, I think.
Healthcare is maybe not as super duper advanced but what you do get is so much better. Russians can’t conceive of the stories we tell about what happens financially if Americans have even one major medical event. We had a child need inpatient kidney surgery right after moving and if it had happened before our move we wouldn’t have been able to afford to move. As it was it was no big deal even though no insurance or discounts or anything applied.
Putin truly has the support of the people, it’s not distorting the truth at all. Trump is generally liked ok but of course he hasn’t taken very pro-Russia lines so it’s not like it makes sense for a Russian to be a big fan of him.
Liberal and conservative have different meanings in Russia as in the rest of the world. Basically everyone would be against the DNC platform here.
Thanks for the long comment, it was very interesting!
Wife and I have more than a handful of Russian friend, in Russia, and to a one they are a robust, proud people. Mostly conservative. All very patriotic.
It's very cold in Russia. I think they tend to drink more due to the cold weather and well..some can't control themselves. I have Russian friends are Asian looking (many ethnic groups there) and very conservative, patriotic, love Putin. Anybody there who is conservative would prefer Putin but the liberals, gays, Christian haters (young people usually) don't like him.
Awesome! Thanks for the insight. I have heard Russia banned GMO's so was thinking of buying some Russian popcorn sometime, and visiting if it wasn't a shit-hole like the media claims
Yeah, people thought we were crazy when we moved here and were relishing the quality of the groceries from the cheap grocery store. Not everything is perfect but wow is the median food quality way better here.
Russia has absolutely delightful cities (if you watch some videos about touring Moscow and St. Petersburg and you think you might like them, I assure you that you will), resorts, natural beauty (Altai and Baikal come to mind), churches that would be one of a kind historical monuments anywhere are all over the place, and there are beautiful smaller cities and rural villages everywhere — ask around and people will tell you what to see and do. Russians do a lot of tourism of Russia themselves. For my family the Moscow metro is a whole tourist destination in itself.