I visited Russia during the war… THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED

In this video, I share my experience visiting Russia during the war and what happened during my trip.
This video shares my process of getting to Russia, what it was like arriving, and whether it's safe and you should visit.
Don't miss this unique perspective on a country amid conflict.
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Contents of video
00:00 - Intro
00:25 - Why I decided to visit Russia
00:41 - How to get over to Russia as a Brit
01:28 - How do you book flights from the UK
02:00 - What was it like getting into Russia
02:55 - What was it like arriving in Moscow
03:17 - What was the Red Square like
04:45 - Parks in Moscow
05:33 - What is the city of Moscow like
06:31 - Strong Christian values
07:15 - Sense of order in Russia
08:01 - What were the Russian people like
09:28 - Travelling to St Petersburg
09:49 - Visting the Hermitage
10:13 - Boat Trip around St Petersburg
10:30 - Lack of English speakers in Russia
11:06 - Not being able to use credit cards
11:45 - Drone attacks
12:12 - Summary of Moscow experience
13:03 - Things you must do when visiting Russia
Instagram: / theoliveranwar
Twitter: / theoliveranwar
My name is Oliver Anwar. I am a health coach.
I help high-achieving entrepreneurs optimize their health, fitness and performance.
I upload videos every week.

[@OliverAnwarHealth]

I hope you found insight in this video! I've created a free guide to help you stay fit while travelling. You can download it for free here. 👇 www.fitnessforentrepreneurs.com/fitness-travel-guide

[@wowkar8857]

ты можешь попросить президента России о получении гражданства и он, скорее всего, тебе его даст!

[@splifstar85]

My friend you CAN NOT get ripped off at a bank in Russia! It could happen in a non bank exchanges but at a bank there 0.0 chance you could get ripped off! It’s like if you change your money at Edgware Road in London in one of those exchanges - you could get ripped off if you don’t speak English but at HSBC - it’s impossible.. As for the so called “bad parts of Moscow” - these are just not rich parts of Moscow, but nobody is gonna mug you.. There are cameras EVERYWHERE, they are mounted into street lights where you can’t even see them, and they could literally trace you across the whole city right to your house.. I live in one of those “bad parts”, but they got their reputation from the 90s, today its just a part of Moscow where regular, not rich, people live 🤷‍♂️

[@dfsdfsdsfsdfsdfs6694]

@@splifstar85 yep, the whole concept of "dangerous places of a city" is foreign to Russia.

[@JohnDoe-cr7kn]

@@splifstar85 rigt thing, especially as a foreign, them bank officers dont want international conflicts

[@JohnDoe-cr7kn]

@@dfsdfsdsfsdfsdfs6694 well, there are dangerous places and towns here, but small chances you get there

[@AlexanderBasov]

Russians are not cold. They just do not have fake smiles.

[@ndxcfvg]

true

[@innshu007]

💯

[@lovelybitofbugle219]

I know 3 Russians and they are very cold people. Unfriendly and miserable.

[@lovelybitofbugle219]

Are you saying non Russians are fake? How warm of you 😄

[@AlexanderBasov]

@bitofbugle219 Not all of them, of course. But what we can read in Oxford Book for English learners? "Smile even if you dont want to, it will increase your happiness". Its real advice... Or lets talk about instruction to stuff in first Russian McDonalds: "It was an American video, and it was just dubbed in Russian. How you’re supposed to smile, how you're supposed to greet." Direct instruction: you must fake a smile. Or lets talk about Wal-Mart in Germany: "Wal-Mart stopped requiring sales clerks to smile at customers-a practice that some male shoppers interpreted as flirting-and scrapped the morning Wal-Mart chant by staff members." Direct instruction to fake smiles... Thats why i am talking about fake smiles. Because all instructions from the West are about faking smiles.

[@pupkin53]

Russians say that smiling for no reason is a sign of a fool! A European smile is a sign of the absence of a threat. The Russians have fought so much with everyone that they have the face of a warrior. But this is not aggression. Russians don't smile for no reason...

[@A-fo4sc]

Yeah, western sales person sort of smile, or a duty smile as we call it, used as a tool of politeness is rather considered here as an artificial mask to hide indifference and is rather frowned upon as Russian people despise fakeness and hypocrisy. So before we know you enough to really actually like you and therefore smile sincerely to you because we are genuinely happy to see you, as our smiles are always physical reactions to happy emotions and never a forced gesture, we will just have a neutral relaxed face.

[@VikToree-is6kw]

🤣🤣🤣👉👉👉💩💩💩

[@Disorder2312]

Yes, when you don't know a person, they might be bad. If in the west everyone expects others to be the same as you, then i guess that's why they have so much hatred for other opinions. That might also be the reason why they do this, because they feel obligated.

[@MsMilagrita]

This is a stereotype. Russians a) vary in temper and mood just like anyone else on this planet, b) smile about as much as anyone else. If you come to Moscow megapolis from a smal town in Nebraska, you will find people a bit tense and busy, but that goes for literally every big city. I's say Muscovites are much more cheerful and friendlier than NewYorkers.

[@tatfly5779]

@@MsMilagrita most follow the stereo type,we just have a young gen raised in western values due to the foolishness of our gove attempting peace with the west.A russians smile is usually genuine,some who lived in the west ofc will have western habits after all we are free to travel.

[@darkmatter5424]

Westerners have been going to Moscow and Russia for the past three decades before the war. Laughable how they have some sort of amnesia now and getting pleasantly surprised by what they experience. Dude, they hosted the World Cup not so long ago, millions used to visit them. 😅

[@user-se3gv6bu9g]

пропаганда работает постоянно.

[@tabasco-jf7eb]

Here in the state's I worked with a person who told me he is scared the Russians and the Chinese ,they will still our babies??? And the other coworker who was gay he commented back ,the only thing that Russians and Chinese can still is the GAY GUYS 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@malikatamaeva3811]

На Западе пропаганда.

[@MsMilagrita]

People see what they want to see. And Russia-bashing has been a favorite pastime for many a Westerners.

[@VolkovVelikan]

Not a lot of westerners came to Russia even before the war. And some that came, behave like savages or entitled snobs, particularly the Americans. And people here can smell that attitude from kilometres away, we have no time for that nonsense

[@nattaliaXT]

Last year I visited Russia for the first time, I had to travel alone, and in Moscow my friend was waiting for me. Russian people helped me with everything, showed me their life, and not only in a big cities, we visited smaller towns, villages, beautiful wild nature. My friend's parents even had a moose as a pet! I tried the most amazing types of food in the world, I could not believe the high quality of food that is so different from what we have in the Czech Republic! It has been a beautiful month full of unforgettable moments and I hope to return there as soon as possible. Russia has found a very important place in my heart

[@Hellzyeah24]

Russia is always glad to have dear guests)

[@user-xc1hq1pt5c]

🤔 лось ..говаришь

[@katshi8197]

​@@user-xc1hq1pt5c какие-то новые тренды вместо медведей пошли (хотя признаться честно я предпочитаю тигров)

[@nattaliaXT]

@@katshi8197 Hahh. Может быть, медведь тоже был 🤔 нет, серьёзно, спасли лося и он остался с ними. Думаю это мило

[@andreykov]

@@user-xc1hq1pt5c скорее всего она гостила в Тундре у чукчей и это были северные олени 😀

[@Emmie013]

I visited Russia last summer to see my boyfriend. He lives in Chelyabinsk so I spent most of my time there, and a little bit in Yekaterinburg. I must say I was very impressed. His friends were nice and respectful, even amazed to see someone dare to travel alone that far at that time. But fortunately, my russian is almost great, so we spoke in russian. I want to highlight two things: One, on my way to Russia I met a really nice russian lady who needed help with her baggage at the Istanbul airport. We were talking while waiting for our plane to Chelyabinsk, she even shared some of her food with me. When we arrived there she made sure my boyfriend came to meet me. And the other thing is one of my boyfriend's friends made a traditional meal from my country specifically because I was there. It was amazing. Overall I had a very pleasant experience, even though I still haven't seen Moscow and Saint Petersburg, people tend to think only those cities are worth seeing and everything else is ugly. That's simply not true. It's definitely worth visiting, Russians are amazing people, I'm sure you'll definitely have a great time. If all goes well I'll move there to be with my love. 😊

[@asdhggkrgkrmgirejlkgelkrjg2757]

Omg, greetings from Chelyabinskaya oblast! If you visited last summer I hope you've seen or heard highschool graduate party in the park Yuriya Gagarina in Chelyabinsk cause I was there lol.

[@Emmie013]

@@asdhggkrgkrmgirejlkgelkrjg2757 I visited Park Gagarina, but didn't hear about a highschool party. I was there from 23rd August to 2nd September. 😊

[@asdhggkrgkrmgirejlkgelkrjg2757]

@@Emmie013 Oooh dang, it was in June.

[@user-nu5rb2sl2o]

Oooo, I wish you good luck and thank you very much for all these good words about Russia❤

[@user-no7dc7ge2m]

Didn't expect to see comment about Chelyabinsk! I'm so glad! I hope you enjoyed Kirovka, our river Miass and forest.

[@wonderfullife3567]

As a person who travelled all over the world and who used to live in London, Paris, Madrid, NY, LA and Moscow I'd rather choose Moscow to live and raise my kids. And if you visit other cities in Russia apart from Moscow and St Petersburg such as Kaliningrad, Kazan, Samara, Sochi, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok and many more you will be surprised how safe, clean and interesting those places are.

[@jlucmonag5712]

Новосибирск точно нет.

[@wonderfullife3567]

@@jlucmonag5712 Krasnoyarsk, Novgorod, Tyumen?

[@jlucmonag5712]

@@wonderfullife3567 в них не был, но родители отзывались о Красноярске очень положительно. Новосибирск очень грязный, тротуары от снега зимой вообще не чистят, лесопарки в мусоре, отвратительная городская администрация связанная с азербайджанской диаспорой. Meh.

[@Alessariel]

Greetings from Samara :) I love my city, it’s very nice

[@panochka_8275]

Hello from Krasnodar 👋🏼 We are waiting for you back to Russia 😉 I myself love to travel. Visited USA ,Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and UAE like second home because it’s close.but I would never leave Russia. thank you for the nice words about my Motherland ❤️

[@sihlenkosi3341]

As a South African 🇿🇦 no visa needed for Russia! Soccer World Cup was awesome! And even got married in Yakutia, Siberia Russia! 🙌🏽🇷🇺

[@chrisb3189]

Good, can send all pro-russian africans into there

[@P.V.V]

Congratulations 🥳

[@nonamedude3217]

Thats cool, man

[@enano3170]

💚

[@wafflewithflam3297]

Passport speedrun

[@pupkin53]

I am Russian. I have been living in Moscow for 20 years. I visited Dublin, London, Glasgow and many small cities in Great Britain. In 20 years, Moscow has turned from an outsider into a champion. Service, food, safety, transport. I used to vacation in Europe. And now I breathe a sigh of relief when I fly back to Moscow. Welcome to Moscow. You definitely won't regret it!!!

[@mind-blowing_tumbleweed]

Ну ещё бы, когда деньги со всей страны туда текут, а регионы хер без соли доедают

[@Sant2409]

Dublin is not Britain.

[@Isadora_Dunkan]

@@Sant2409 Forgive my Russian friend, we in Russia actually know how important independence was for the Irish. We apologise. You, like no one else, understand Russians what “friendship” with the British means.

[@alexanderpopov3510]

@@Sant2409He didn't say that Dublin was British. He just listed the cities he has visited.

[@AlanLienhard]

How have other cities than the big one developed in the last years?

[@Div-jx3mz]

У нас знакомая живет в Лондоне. Они с мужем британцем были в России 4 месяца в связи с болезнью её родителей. Теперь он не хочет жить в Лондоне. Сказал ей собирать документы для переезда в Россию. Хочет дом в Подмосковье. И ещё на Алтае ему понравилось.

[@user-uv4ro9dx7i]

Круто! 👍👍👍

[@_I_am_Lucy]

Круто! Удачи им🫶🏻

[@user-yl9sw4tz5n]

Интересный случай! А что именно так понравилось, не рассказывал? Что так повлияло на желание переезда, было бы здорово услышать)

[@user-iv9wt6mg1h]

Вот облом походу, она наверное очень хотела продолжать жить в лондоне 😂😂😂

[@Isadora_Dunkan]

@@user-iv9wt6mg1hЛондон уже не тот. Так что сарказм тут не уместен.

[@Ratko138]

You can fly to Russia from Belgrade Serbia as well.

[@StodOneR]

No you don't , you have the private flights which cost enormous amounts of money , Serbian government is a western puppet so of course it's not gonna have flights unless you're an "elite"

[@alexanderchepak2009]

@@StodOneRyou can by Serbian airlines.

[@markelonl8681]

Этим летом полечу в Сербию, мои друзья от туда говорят что это очень компактная страна. Так что надеюсь объехать все достопримечательности❤

[@PavelVinogradovme]

@@markelonl8681 я живу в Сербии 2 года и до этого был - ещё всю не объездил)). Тут смотря, что считать достопримечательностями)

[@Mrtopmanable]

You can but they overcharge for tickets, they are usually around 1k eur for one side ticket. Apart from turkey you can go through morocco with AirMoroc Its about 1,5k round trip from eurpope and also about 2-3k for buisness same with Azerbaijan airlines(through Baku)(they have only one flight a week from my country, but its fast and costs 1.2k if you are fast enough to buy economy(they are constantly sold out) and 3k for buisness round trip

[@Siberian_Bear72]

Even those areas in Moscow that some people consider dangerous are a little safer than any area of London. There are no ghettos in Russia and no areas where the police do not enter.

[@AsasinAllamuta]

Я тут мигрант в России,, тут нет таких опасных районов вопше,, хочешь ночью погулять хочешь утром в день,, не кто тебя не беспокоит. Матушка Россия лучшая страна мира во всех отношениях

[@Kikim0rka]

It's true

[@Disorder2312]

Excellent, the image of ghettos where someone just randomly stops you, is what i get from western countries, not my country Russia. That was only the case in 90's, exactly when the western culture started to appear, and because the country was weak, but now it's pretty much gone.

[@chodagreat7876]

I seen a Documentary on the Russian drug 'crocodille' They showed Russian ghetto's and areas where needles are laying on the ground everywhere. Every Country has ghetto's

[@rodharris3606]

What do you mean there are no ghettos in Russia, have you been out side of the major cities, sure the ghettos are not like in America but I would rather live in ghettos then in some of the places that i have seen in Russia

[@PINEAcompany]

Полиция в России всегда помогает иностранцам. Это прописано в их должностных инструкциях. Многие иностранцы отмечают, что полиция исключительно дружелюбна к иностранцам

[@choro3d191]

да, менты порой удивляют.. Как-то в начале 2000х к нам в Киргизию приезжала голландка. Как она мне потом рассказала, посеяла свой кошелёк, осталась без денег в чужой стране. Как нормальный европеец, пошла в милицию за помощью... на этом месте я со стула чуть не упал, нашла к кому обращаться. Менты стали ей помогать, вместе с ней прошли по улице и нашли кошелёк, да ещё и вернули ей в целости! Тут уж я точно упал со стула... а она недоумевает, что я так реагирую? Пошла в полицию, ей помогли, что такого..😅 ну сейчас уже времена изменились, дело было на стыке 90х.

[@user-fu2cv9xl7p]

@@choro3d191 у большинства искаженное представление о нашей полиции по каким-то ментовским сериалам или новостям. А в большинстве своём там обычные люди работают. Я сколько не обращался у меня только положительный опыт.

[@AsasinAllamuta]

Не гани пургу

[@_B_B_B]

Вы пробовали реально взаимодействовать с полицией? Не в Москве? Заявления там писать? Ну или объяснять что вы там на улице делали ? Не? А в отделение все мягкие и пушистые? Моему другу почки отбили. Полиция в России правильно называется ментами, а лучше мусорами. Эти бесполезные уроды ни мне, ни моим друзьям и знакомым ни разу нормально не помогли.

[@KatieSwordvideos]

ты это узбекам и таджикам скажи

[@mikeleonard8031]

When you visit Russia again and you will for sure, go to the smaller towns a villages and meet the locals.The friendliness is overwhelming.🇿🇦🇦🇺🇬🇪🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺

[@user-do7ff9we1c]

Aha, especially in this small town live some group "churkas" like Georgian🇬🇪.

[@mmp8365]

@@user-do7ff9we1c You have the wrong idea about Russia and its provincial cities (small towns). And we don’t have any Georgians thanks to western policies.

[@gabrielkourieh5920]

@@user-do7ff9we1c I don't know if you meant to be sarcastic about the Churkas people, but we have them in Syria,I think they are very nice people.

[@gabrielkourieh5920]

I've been to small cities and towns in Russia like Pyatigorsk, Mineralnieh - vody also to Ulianovsk, I had great time with good friends.

[@zomgree]

Russians and "friendliness" LOL. Neighbour countries know about how really "friendly" russians are. Sounds like propaganda.

[@Ratko138]

As a tourist you can open bank account,get a card so that you don't need to cary cash around .

[@d-rush1219]

Can confirm. 2hrs after I landed in Moscow, my hotel directed me to the nearest Sberbank, I opened a tourist bank account in less than 20min, the girls helping me spoke good English. Asked me if I wanted a tourist no name card straight away or a card with my name within 3 banking days, I took no name and they showed me how to put money in to the account by scanning the card and then just putting cash in to the machine, easy peasy. Also got drunk with loads of different Russians on heaps of occasions and it was a blast, super friendly and really curious what made me come there for a month. Met up with some of them several times where they took their time to show me around and treat me for some specialities (shashliks, shawerma etc), btw Russians are so different, they literally come in different colours, shapes and looks but so cohesive as a nation, literally you sit with an Orthodox dude that looks Chinese, a blonde blue eyed girl that is Muslim and an Arabic looking Buddhist, tippy as hell when you are used to the western perception but truly awesome. Loved the month out there and actually planing to eventually move out there, the opportunities to create a good life are immense compared to where I am from (a Nordic country). Cool to see others enjoyed Russia as well. Cheers and have a good one mate. EDIT: also the Sberbank app is really awesome, soooo easy to use. Still got I on my phone for the future.😊

[@aleksandarstavric2226]

Next video - I visited USA during the war - yes USA is constantly in war with several countries - simultaneously

[@kevinwaalker]

Nope Maybe stop watching state run T.V.

[@user-yw6fg5rs3h]

@@kevinwaalkerа что не так? пакеты военной помощи укроине израилю и тайваню- это не участие в войнах?

[@Siberian_Bear72]

@@kevinwaalker Isn't that true? What are the US military doing in eastern Syria? It is not difficult to guess ;-) They ensure the theft of oil from the Syrians, since the Americans have organized a military base in the Syrian oil fields. Isn't this a war on someone else's territory?

[@archyt88]

@@user-yw6fg5rs3h Участие, но непрямое. Поэтому граждане не ощущают этого участия. Разве что финансово) Ну и тем, что на всё остальное забили и на улицах не очень то и безопасно)

[@MrSlavikman]

​@@kevinwaalkerout of 246 years the US has been murdering some one for all but 12 of them.

[@In-hoc-signo-vinces]

Fellow Brit, i got back from visiting my wife's family and loved it. I used to work in siberia when i was younger for Pepsi and enjoyed it then but i loved it sooo much this time. We are saving to try and move out

[@ElenaLink]

Поздравляю, вы на правильном пути

[@da_vortex]

Good luck 👍🏼

[@Veronika_biju]

Добро пожаловать ❤

[@catinforest]

In case if your wife doesn't have russian citizenship anymore, there is a programm for "Returning russians home" officially called "Programm for compatriots resettlement" 2024. According to New rules russian can take his foreign realatives with him/her. No quotas needed, neither residency permissions. U Just need to adress to russian embassy in your country and apply to join the programm, after that u are under russian governmental support.

[@albertmaziarz6739]

to live under rock

[@Light-wv1si]

Thank you for the good words about the Russians 👍

[@janekstudent731]

Great content. Hopefully this country will become sanctuary for normal people....

[@user-xc1hq1pt5c]

🤔

[@user-dd5wt2cp7f]

Очень хотелось бы, что бы нормальные и хорошие люди приехали к нам, территория огромная , надо заселять только хорошими людьми!😊

[@anthonyginsbrook]

А что делать с теми, кто там уже живет? @@user-dd5wt2cp7f

[@missismoon9359]

@@user-dd5wt2cp7fа давай мы сами разберемся кого и куда заселять. Умники, приезжайте. Да давай всех созовем. Не хватает тебе приезжих? Головой своей думать надо хоть иногда

[@user-fj3qf3qz5e]

@@missismoon9359 какой-то пещерный шовинизм, лучше бы уж вменяемые цивилизованные британцы приезжали, чем некоторые народы средней азии (я не говорю про всех, лично знаю хорошего узбека)

[@archyt88]

Good morning! As an Russia who lived in Moscow for almost an 5 years, i would say, that there is no dangerous places around the Moscow. I was walking at the night in almost entire Moscow, and got no bad situations at all. May be, something happened somewhere, and then newspapers talk about that and people think that some of the districts is dangerous or something like that, but it isn't true. It is big city with more than 15 millions people living in, and of course, bad situations might happened. But it is very rare cases in my opinion. Anyway, thank you for your honest opinion and for visiting our country. You're welcome! p.s. About the bank cards. We are all using bank cards as Russians, i ain't using cash for almost 10 years now. If you are tourist, probably you'll need to have this cash. But if you are living in there, we don't use cash at all. At least, me, my family, my friends, and everyone i know.

[@A-fo4sc]

As foreigners they can easily get a Russian card as well, for free and quickly delivered to their hotel rooms, same like we have it. And that's what many of them do.

[@yuryskrip5500]

I don't quite understand why you emphasize that it was during the war. As far as I understand Russia and USA are not in the state of war. I've been going to Russia twice a year for a month for years and would be very surprised if some official questioned my right to come there. I assure you that you won't get into trouble anywhere in Russia unless you are looking for trouble.

[@20luzer52]

Are you kidding me??@??@ No war ?!??! The West had in effect waged war with Russia for the last 2 years, militarily and economically. The West have provided their military professionals, under the guise of "advisors", "mercenaries", "volunteers" etc. to operate weapon systems to kill Russians. We have provided satellite and spy plane information on Russian targets so that the Ukrainians can KILL Russia. Don't throw that technicality about "declaration of war" because lying politicians such as ours will hide behind this technicality.

[@MrMaxStalsky]

Important point my friend. And yes, you can get in trouble anywhere if you look for troubles.

[@ArturMorgan1899]

It's about the war in Ukraine

[@24irinka]

It’s a proxy-war with a lot of sanctions against governments and ordinary citizens

[@LiquidSunshine22]

Sanctions have an impact, as well as military spending on wars the u.s. start which affect the country. But clearly Russia is still doing well

[@BombshellCreations]

Greetings from the US. Moscow looks beautiful. I grew up near San Francisco and have lived in several US cities. I avoid every US city now. The degradation and condition of many Western cities is very sad. I appreciate your points about values and culture. Your statements are very poignant and this underlies the problem in the West nowadays. Yes wokeism and politicians are destroying the West.

[@stanspb763]

The misunderstanding and intentional distortion by people in the west is that Russia is a different culture that somehow limits choice or personal freedom but it is the opposite. I moved from Marin Co to St Petersburg Russia and the difference in conditional tolerance is shocking during any return visits to the US. People broadcast their subculture in the west and in the name of tolerance and open-mindedness they will want to attack you if your tolerance is slightly different , But here whatever someone believes it is their belief but yours, if very different is met with , "oh, I don't now much about that, are you happy? Like Americans all believe that gays are tortured or at least beaten by gangs. But when the come here no one cares. They turn on TV the main government channel that is so popular with old movies and variety shows the most loved by older people and children are disproportionally gay. And some of the most looked up to sports stars are gay, living their lives with zero problems. Whatever people think or believe in does not matter, are they a good person...done no judgment. Muslims and Christians get a long great, males and females get a long great. I have been around so many different belief systems here and there is no strife between them. Heck, I an American from a country that wants every Russian to be tortured before being burn at the stake and intent world war to eliminate every last one in a mushroom cloud but the Russians hold no hostility towards Americans. Russians judge you by your character not your party, beliefs, origin, opinions or religions because ones actions count and belief constantly evolve. Since my first visit in 1976 to when I started coming every 3 months in the 1990s to when I moved here full time in 2000, the same week Putin became president. Other than the rough times of the 90s, I have never seen a fight or even loud argument. Making new friends is a daily occurrence. I was sick last month and got hundreds of texts from people I had not seen in a long time, everyone offered to run errands or bring something. THAT is the Russia I have known and loved. It is absolutely opposite of the image 99% of Americans and Brits are so sure of.

[@OliverAnwarHealth]

Thank you!

[@ElenaLink]

💯😊

[@da_vortex]

@@stanspb763what a brilliant comment. I will share it

[@TheRussianForeginAgent]

To be really HONEST... well you're right, although you didn't saw other cities in Russia, they dirty at every time time of year except summer (it becomes dusty in summer) Ah yes also corruption, corruption and general untrained... Everyone, is kinda make situation worse here, (for example: all local slangs not taking St. Petersburg one, mentions cops as "Trashbags" because of their ability to give zero fucks about anything (Except protests not surprisingly) so, yeah. (You'll probably get less IQ bc of grammar)

[@sergecolyflor7796]

Hey, Oliver. As a citizen of Moscow for the whole life, I can tell you there are NO dangerous places in Moscow. You can easily walk at night in any district of Moscow with pockets full of cash, you will hardly meet anything bad or get robbed. It's one of the safest cities in Europe for the moment. Moscow has just rich and poor districts. But not dangerous at all. Come again for a longer stay!

[@OliverAnwarHealth]

Good to know!

[@Snowman13230]

That's right. I live in the outskirts of Moscow, and there's a huge park near my house. I sometimes go for a walk there late at night and nothing bad has ever happened to me. It wasn't like this in the 1990s, but now it's much safer.

[@A-fo4sc]

Да даже и с богатыми и бедными районами так не разделишь - в каждом районе и дорогие новостройки есть и панельки со сталинками. В которых, опять же, люди самого разного достатка могут жить. В мире и согласии. И все ходят в одни поликлиники, в одни школы и т.д. И нет такого классового разделения.

[@evaskjerd]

​@@Snowman13230THANKS to the biggest e best pres.ever: Vladmir Putin❤🇷🇺

[@mikevdovin]

В Москве нет опасных районов - это правда! Как сказал кто-то из комментаторов - «вы найдёте проблемы только если будете их искать». И, скорее всего, вам придётся сильно постараться, чтобы преуспеть)) Я сибиряк. Если хотите посетить Сибирь, то советую начать с моего родного Красноярска, Иркутска и Алтая! Побывайте в Ергаках и на Байкале! Но закладывайте на это не меньше месяца 😂❤ Вы влюбитесь в нашу природу!

[@user-tz7yb7vh9g]

Извините,но у нас нет гетто и вы можете ходить в любом месте не опасаясь за свой карман😅

[@Burbon211]

Да че нету то, есть районы неблагополучные :)

[@stacydragon6905]

@@Burbon211но все равно эти районы безопаснее централ парка в Нью Йорке

[@ilyaorlovskiy]

@@Burbon211 Например?

[@user-xw3hz9zz3c]

@@Burbon211это какие? Где вы боитесь ходить? Нет таких районов! Везде дети в одиночку гуляют

[@ddddddddddddddddd555]

​@Burbon211 какие? Я про такие районы не знаю

[@StodOneR]

Russians have the correct kind of pride

[@albertmaziarz6739]

correct praide chussing right toilet paper

[@user-xt5yz8wm7z]

@@albertmaziarz6739 stop coping troll 🤣🤣

[@ekaterinaegorova492]

Мы буквально начали проводить парады на 9е мая в 90х по указке людей, которые ничего не внесли в победу из-за своего возраста

[@user-wv8fu6nc7k]

No, we don't

[@user-ze8mw2vl5j]

@@user-wv8fu6nc7kпохрюкай

[@julz6549]

One remark, you said “there is no cards working in Russia”. I just want to make it clear: there are no VISA or Mastercards that decided to block their cards for Russians (democracy and human rights, don’t forget). We have our own payment systems called MIR so cards, apps and the rest are working brilliantly well here.

[@metka2008]

У меня есть и виза и мастер, полученные до введенных санкций, я продолжаю ими пользоваться внутри страны, банки просто прислали инфу, что они продлевают их еще на 5 лет.

[@ningtanagrey9141]

@@metka2008 Ага а потом, поедешь отдохнуть в Беларусь, и удивишься, что там из наших только мир принимают, а виза не работает. А ты на машине пересёк границу и надо купить страховку, а обменники не работают. Хотя страховку выгодней в РФ оформлять.

[@georgiykireev9678]

​@@metka2008пластик тот же, а за кулисами система совершенно другая. Российские банки сейчас отрезаны от окружающего мира, так что при переходе границы в обе стороны приходится повертеться

[@johnd9357]

It’s called mir? Like peace?

[@alexandregolovanov5905]

​@@johnd9357in Russian мир means both peace and world. It depends on context

[@xalekcey]

Tucker Carlson's story about Russia and the subway has just been released on his KZbin channel. It seems to me that the West should discover Russia and put things in order in its head. I do not know any dangerous areas in Moscow. There are no such areas. Some areas on the outskirts of Moscow look even better than the central areas.

[@1966Gleb]

👍👍💯💯

[@user-ib5cf6gl9q]

We have big enough problems with immigration, I don’t think that we need more people, that don’t even speak Russian😅 as tourist, not problem. But not living without respect to language and low.

[@igor_pavlovich]

How can you watch Tucker Carlson? He talk bad about Putin and "denazification" of Ukraine!

[@Sunny7772]

💯 true

[@thomasthompson2579]

I was in Moscow about 9 years ago and was amazed. But I would recommend travelling with a Russian speaker. I had a buddy there and things were very easy when was with him. But on my own, I got lost and it was hard finding someone who spoke English. The subways were fantastic but I couldnt remember which station to get off or transfer at. And of course when they announce the station, good luck associating it with the station name. Good food and fun times there though. Never felt threatened. I may try and go to St. Petersburg this summer.

[@metka2008]

сейчас есть мобильный интернет, смартфон и программа-переводчик, поэтому нет проблем

[@melzyy]

the whole moscow transport system now has like 330+ stops nowadays and still growing

[@gazirovkinn]

they actualy anounce statiotns in both russian and english for about 5 years now. so it's easier to understand the station name for english speakers. I've heard they might remove this though, due to a lack of foreigners in the country.

[@sovokentertainment1458]

I suggest you to visit Moscow one more time. You would be amazed by how Moscow has changed over 9 years (of course in a good way)

[@Woteeeee]

@@gazirovkinn Вы видимо давно в метро не были, дублирования станций на английском нет уже как год-два

[@Hellzyeah24]

In fact, to be fair, I note that in Russia there are bank cards and we use them here. They just don't belong to the VISA system. If you really needed a bank card, you could ask your girlfriend to open a regular instant bank card for you. It would have taken her about 15 minutes.

[@NOBODY754]

You can get bank card by yourself. It's quite easy. Some of my foreign friends did it already and use it in Russia. You just order a card and courier will deliver it to you by adress

[@Hellzyeah24]

@@NOBODY754 Maybe. I do not know how it works with foreign passports.

[@MrTonyHitch]

​@@Hellzyeah24 так же как и с российским паспортом

[@shesanicon7411]

We used to have visa and MasterCard cards but they left our market in 2022 Waiting them back actually

[@pirotehtv3563]

​@@shesanicon7411 в смысле ушли, ты про возможность оформить нову карту по их системе ? Потому что мои старые мастер кард работают

[@Dfg13930]

Привет, друг. Спасибо за приятный отзыв, Рада, что ты оценил Москву и СПБ. Для русских тоже странно, что существует культура small talk. Если у русского спросить, как дела, они искренне более менее расскажет, что делал и как себя чувствует 😂 А повеселиться мы любим. Практика повседневной улыбки по моему хорошо влияет на настроение, но у нас она не особо распространена. Честно, это лишь разновидность маски для обычного общения.

[@KseniiaPeregon]

You also should visit Sochi someday. It's an absolutely beautiful city. In summer it's very hot and you can go swimming. But i would recommend you to go there in the middle of the spring. It's a wonderful time to visit this city. The streets are green, very flowery. Street`s food, festivals, lots of restaurants with variety of cuisine. It's such a vibe being there during this season

[@OliverAnwarHealth]

I've heard great things about Sochi, will definitely visit.

[@Marina62932]

@@OliverAnwarHealth Come to the Caucasus as well. You won't see such a nature anywhere!

[@missismoon9359]

@@Marina62932прям не увидит, везде полно разной красивой природы

[@Marina62932]

@@missismoon9359 я не спорю, но как вы сказали, она везде разная

[@alisapeskova103]

О даааа! Обожаю Сочи весной ❤

[@roberts3423]

Im born in ST Petersburg, been living in Sweden since i was 4, now 32, would be fun to visit my motherland.

[@well9179]

If you are liberal, better for you to stay in Sweden, the Great country in Northern Europe. Sweden is Champion of Human Right, that why they are the Best. Maybe UK will follow their path.

[@roberts3423]

@@well9179 Im conservative, highly against the sickness happening in the US, grooming children with rainbow propaganda and other filth. Sweden is sick, alot of criminal groups, shootings and they keep releasing criminals on the streets.

[@ElenaLink]

Конечно, нужно поехать и посмотреть, пока молоды и чтобы не жалеть потом, когда состаритесь😊

[@user-it9go4vw8r]

Приезжайте

[@oliviao3686]

​@@well9179yeah, as a Russian I can say Russia is not a place for "liberasts", especially now.

[@deshtechno]

Thanks for the video. I hope more people will know that Russia is not a scary place and even more than that it is actually a good place to visit at least.

[@mariabond26]

You can walk with your material goods safely everywhere, I lived in Moscow and never felt uneasy😊 also for your convenience you can order bank card online and the courier will deliver it to you, they also have English interface in Tinkoff bank for example. you can then top up using the the ATM. Also I would not expect you to get ripped off as a foreigner when exchanging money. Worst thing is if you pick up a bank with bad exchange rate (big spread between buy and sell), but these things are shown on a display outside. Take care 😊

[@IK-yv4gj]

I visited Moscow last summer. What a beautiful and clean city! Restaurants, service and food are great! ❤

[@thewestiswasted5216]

I'm expat living in Moscow for almost a year now and I do not speak Russian yet but I get around using an app called " translate ". This thing has changed my life for good. When changing money, most places display the rate, so unless you cannot count, there's no way to be robbed. Plus there are cameras in those places to watch exactly that. Prices for foods and outings are very good . Russia is ideal for raising a family or for the elderly because the system cater for them internationally. Public transportation in Russia has no much in Europe or the state. It's also funny that American movies are still shown on Russian Tv when places like America it is now illigal to sale vodka Great 👍 video and hope

[@oliviao3686]

As a Russian I am convinced they should ban the American movies, at least those showing violence and perversion

[@user-pt9hy9pq6d]

@@oliviao3686as a russian, i think it’s a very shallow and narrow-minded opinion that you displayed here

[@himynameiskarinakk]

@@oliviao3686every country has movies that display violence and perversion. the only difference between Russian and American ones is quality. depriving ourselves of good movies is incredibly stupid.

[@slava_Haositam]

​@@user-pt9hy9pq6dфакты пишете, у нас кинематограф скажем так, не очень У bаdcomedian есть обзоры

[@yemisitijani1218]

​@@himynameiskarinakk U are a Blatant LIAR

[@stanspb763]

00Nice overview. The warnings about bad areas or police was reverting to your programming from UK media. For example, what bad areas?? The Russia cities are usually seen by avid travelers as the safest and most friendly. I have been to 92 countries and gave all my assets and businesses away in the first week of 2000 and moved to St Petersburg with just two suitcases and $6000. My small storage unit in California that rent by the month for awards, gold and platinum album awards, and photo albums cost me more than total living expenses in the city center of St Petersburg. I opened an incoming tour operator business in 2001, a field I never was in but it grew quickly when getting permission to host visa free foreigners. We specialized in2-3 day tours for cruise ship passengers arriving every morning during the summer. We hosted about about 10,000 visitors a month from May 1- to Oct 1 each year. Thefts and problems reported included 3 people who swore they were robbed, but a call to the ship security revealed wallets left in the cabin. That is probably a better track record than any other major tourist destination. There is no neighborhood in the city of 7 million where a woman, alone, would be at risk walking through ...at 3am. Crime is VERY low. The only police one would likely se are Tourist police, often attractive young women in a share uniform who are scattered about and usually speak 3 or more languages. 50% of people in St Petersburg speak at least conversational English and all kids start English in the second grade. Of large cities, over 12 million Moscow is the easiest to explore that I have ever seen. The subway system is stunning with 276 stations below ground and another 24 above ground. Taxis are cheap if you download a Yandex app Having a debit card is recommended for shopping, dinning, museums, metro(subway but you can use cash ) and getting a debit card is about 20 minutes. Go to any branch of SberBank and open a card account. Banks can exchange you Pounds, Dollars or Euros but they usually do not give the best exchange rate. There are many currency exchange banks that give very good rates, one I is Avangaurd Bank to change currency at close to Central Bank rate. Get Rubles head to a nearby SberBank and open an account and get a MIR Card that will be useful in a lot of countries in the region and BRICS countries. A Mir Card usable instantly will not have your name on it but if you want one with your name it takes a few days. Their ATM machines are every where for more deposited or when your depart, you can exchange for Pounds again. There are many banks foreigners can open accounts but SberBank is the national bank so you will see more ATM When you visit other smaller cities there are fewer English speakers but still enough to get assistance anywhere, even a small village Getting here, Istanbul, Georgia, most of the "Stans: have direct flights at least once a day, fly to Tallinn Estonia and use the modern train to Narva in the south of Estonia(8 euro) walk over the bridge(the road path is under reconstruction so only pedestrian traffic for the next 2 years)then bus to St Petersburg. This route is nice because spending the day in Tallinn Old Town, restored 13th century walled city. Tallinn is the most reasonably priced visits in the Baltic. The rest of the city is modern and boring. After reaching St Petersburg the city center to city center train are the fast trains that run 3.5 to 4.5 hours depending on train number, and at night the sleeper trains that are cheaper and have 4 bed cabins, 2 bed cabins and open bay that are cheap, but allows you enough time to safe a hotel stay. Leave at night and arrive in the morning rested ready to tackle the city,

[@dlutz7248]

Westoids can't fathom that a big city doesn't have ghettoes and "no-go" zones where they fence up their coveted POC populations

[@jujuleto]

Отличная памятка туристу. Кстати сербы говорят, что еще можно лететь из Белграда, не проверяла

[@karamba69126]

@@jujuleto можно, но почему-то дороже, чем через Истанбул

[@kim6803]

Can u please provide information about your service, I'm thinking about visiting Russia and like to use your service. Thanks

[@user-um5ju4en6d]

Вы все сказали верно. Кроме знания английского языка русскими. В моем окружении в Санкт-Петербурге почти никто не говорит на английском 😅. Но сейчас у всех русских есть телефоны с переводчиком. Поэтому без проблем можно объясниться. Обычно иностранцы которых я видела так и делают. К тому же вы можете скачать переводчик, который делает перевод скрина экрана. И так переводить любые надписи.

[@Tavic1]

Great comments, I also would like to go to Russia, see the palaces, wow

[@marias5088]

Don't let anything or anyone stop you from visiting Russia. You will not regret going there.

[@user-km3do7ck8w]

Welcome 🤝🙂

[@ivansolodyankin6820]

I watch videos like this from time to time, and i always stunned when people say that they are surprised about how safe and calm Russia is. How bad things in europe and Usa if you being surprised by things like this?

[@stifflermom]

Хуже чем у нас в 90е

[@igrok878]

Очень плохо: вонь, грязь, банды арабов и африканцев повсюду.

[@NataliaYasnaya]

They are surprised because western media propaganda is telling people only lies about Russia

[@luogenovese]

Так они ж уверены, что мы тут в гетто живем и ежей доедаем)

[@user-rt7dl2bf5t]

В Москве нет плохих мест ,в западном понимании....никто вас не ограбит)

[@kalobyte]

передача петровка 38 тебе в помощь 🤣

[@nonamedude3217]

​@@kalobyteфаб 500 тебе в помощь, ципсо

[@kalobyte]

@@nonamedude3217 вот вате ответить нечего, везде ципсо мерещится

[@skazki_na-noch]

@@kalobyte Петровка 38? Это шоу из 1995 года.

[@kalobyte]

@@skazki_na-noch не знаю, я последний раз телик видел 98 году сейчас норм шоу

[@MrCepka]

В Сибирь приедте, увидите какие здесь суровые люди от Москвы отличаются, но эта суровость на первый взгляд, потому что здесь холодно и кажется что люди сердитые, но если вдруг вам нужна помощь то тогда вы увидите что такое "русская душа". В деревне напоят, на кормят, в бане искупают и спать положат. Если конечно с добром пришёл, а если с мечом - в глаз дадут, догонят и ещё дадут😁. А что бы в России общаться то есть гугл переводчик !

[@pantyukovk]

догонят, дадут, объяснят, и если понял - накормят, и спать уложат 😂

[@EricEric2004]

Суровее, но и одновременно добрее я не встречал людей, чем в Сибири.

[@NataliaYasnaya]

Классный перевод, надеюсь, у других пользователей работает автоматический перевод😅😅😅

[@rugoro]

Обалдеть, а у нас в Краснодаре в последние годы встречаешь человека -- и он как-то вот особенно добр, открыт, какой-то такой ну удивительно настоящий и искренний -- чаще всего в итоге оказывается, что переехал именно из Сибири. У нас восприятие вас вот такое =). При том, что мы и сами ведь люди тёплые! Но ваши - что-то в них особенное. Ни от кого не слышала мнения, что сибиряки сердитые! Наоборот часто даже как-то расположены сразу к человеку, когда узнают, что он сибиряк. Вот такой вы себе заслужили образ на моём родном Юге!

[@user-uc8hr9qg3u]

чем суровее климат тем теплее люди

[@igorvasin6960]

I just don’t understand why you were carrying a lot of cash in your pocket? you could go to any well-known bank with state participation and open a temporary account there. I would deposit most of the money into this account and you will be given a plastic card which you can pay anywhere in Russia. In addition, any large bank in Russia has phone applications through which you can pay without using cash or cards, you can simply pay using the QUAR code using the phone's camera or using the recipient's phone number, sending money to the phone as payment. In addition, if you have a card, you can pay for a taxi through the application when ordering without using cash.

[@raywasabi2900]

Amazing video! Beautiful country!🙏🏻👍🏻

[@michaelberriman3333]

Be sure to visit Kazan and Sochi on your next visit.

[@Wiiiispa]

I'm from Russia. Please stop calling us all angry and cold! We just don't smile without a reason - it's simply different mentality. It's not really understandable for us that people can smile all along - we spend alot of time by thinking about our duties and other things all the time, and we aren't like upset about it. Believe me, happy person can be not smiling, but still happy! I love listening to music when I go through the streets, I might have an ice-cream and have like a nice day - everything will be great, but I can be not smiling at the moment. Smile isn't the thing that shows all the emotions, many smiles are just for polite etc. And it doesn't mean we don't smile at all, we just dont "smile to the air" we usually do it in conversation or smth. So please guys, it's just a myth, we're normal people and we're opened to the world. And it usually upsets us when you call us cold and angry, I don't think many people would be happy if they were called those... P.S. : we just don't use cash because it is easier... No, there are no dangerous places around, I'm shure, I have lived in Moscow since I was born

[@uniquesteel54]

Да, это просто такая особенность. Европейцы привыкли к тому что все улыбаются. У каждого народа разные традиции

[@t.e.a.9654]

​@@uniquesteel54 это не особенность, а стереотип, который пропагандируется в СМИ. Европейцы тоже не улыбаются постоянно, но в своем глазу как говорится бревна не видно.

[@eva-satis]

Коммент в продвижение ролика)) Удачи )

[@a.k.2894]

Yeah bro I visited st Petersburg in 2022. Incredible. Magical city. Safe clean etc. loved it. I’m part Ukrainian too….

[@v1ncy_vinny406]

This is a good content. I am surprised you have very few views

[@eva-satis]

хах, элементарно неверное название - и ютуб минимизирует рекомендации то же мне, чего удумали, в положительном ключе о РФ говорить поздравляю, вы ознакомились с работой санкций

[@eva-satis]

ролик с похожим названием про украину набрал 2,1 млн вот так работают рекомендации ютуб

[@ElenaLink]

Это факт, никто не хочет лишаться иллюзий, так и живут

[@-Russian_Knight]

Я из Москвы. Мне 16. За свою маленькую жизнь, мне довелось побывать во многих странах, таких как Италия, Греция, Грузия, Украина и так далее. Но с каждым годом, посещая другие страны, я все больше понимаю что Россия развивается огромными темпами. У всех есть работа и все могут спать спокойно. Это счастье. Привет всем иностранцам, и не только.

[@VeselijDrozd]

я с района Братеево. На юге в целом было сурово в 00-х) Приятно, что даже люди, не заставшие самый пиздец отстреливают насколько сейчас хорошо

[@poohoff]

Хороший тролль

[@ys2765]

ага да

[@-Russian_Knight]

@@poohoff причем тут это?

[@decide9266]

Классный ник братец 😎👍

[@user-om6fz9rv3u]

It's funny how foreigners talk about us as Martians. Russians are Martians 😅

[@OI-xl9lp]

... потому что им с пелёнок убивают в голову о том, что у них РАЙ, а у нас ДЖУНГЛИ. Их ничем не подкреплённое чувство превосходства над другими странами мешает им видеть реальность такой, какая она есть. Поэтому один раз приехав в Россию, многие "вдруг" прозревают и как-то начинают активно заниматься вопросами иммиграции из своего "рая" в наш "Мордор". Смотришь видео многих иностранцев, сбежавших от своих ЛГБТэшных соотечественников, и удивляешься их наивности даже в бытовых вопросах, радуются как дети самым обыкновенным вещам, даже продуктам из какой-нибудь Пятёрочки радуются, счетам за воду и электричество радуются, быстрому и дёшевому интернету радуются, автобусы ездят по расписанию - удивляются, в метро спустятся - опять море впечатлений...

[@muggzzzzz]

Because Mars is a RED planet haha :D

[@ElenaLink]

Это точно, к моему внуку приезжал друг по интернету из США. Он был удивлен, что у нас кроме квартиры есть дача(дом). Спросил, это у всех так, я ответила, что у многих

[@user-it9go4vw8r]

​@@muggzzzzz😂😂😂😂

[@MsMilagrita]

This is racism.

[@anastasiap5]

Even in the worst parts of Moscow it is still safe😅 just doesn’t look the nicest way possible)

[@ElectricRelaxation-cf6rj]

Hey, Oliver! Thank you for coming to our city. Hope you come back again!

[@MarusyaS]

A Brit talking about traditional values? Am I dreaming? Welcome to Russia! I hope you can visit more often, there's so much to see. I live in Moscow, and I've been not farther than Siberia. In 2020 I've traveled all the way from Novosibirsk to Moscow by car. It was overwhelming. We here in Moscow have our own prejudices about Russia. I was genuinelly surprised by how my country is beautiful, safe and rich. As for the "dangerous" areas in Moscow, I've not heard about them since the end of the 90's. I live in the farthest district from Moscow center. It's clean and safe 100%. It's just a sleeping area, there's not much to see, but we have parks and fountains even. Thanks for the video!

[@-SUM1-]

I also went in summer 2023 as a Brit. Here are my comments. 0:42 True, nothing's changed at all in regards to the visas due to the war. 1:13 She was indeed very friendly, very reassuring that it would be approved. 1:44 It's most definitely not the only way. There are dozens of ways by air (Serbia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, UAE, Central Asia etc.), and several land borders are open as of this comment, such as Poland's, Latvia's, Georgia's, Kazakhstan's etc. It can be much cheaper to take a combination of flight + land crossing. But I did go the Istanbul route the first time, just to ensure the success of the trip, because it was more reliable politically than the nearest land crossings (in addition to the convenience and speed). 1:57 Exact same story here. I prepared for the risk of being pulled away and interviewed (which is a very real risk, albeit not a large one), but got through passport control in minutes, with only one question asked (what I was travelling there for). 3:30 Agreed. The streets were very clean in all of the 11 cities I went to, and I felt safer on Russian streets than on the streets in my town. 4:47 The VDNKh (in the video clips) truly did surprise me with its beauty. Highly recommend. 5:32 Agreed. And all for several times cheaper than here. 7:14 I didn't see any homeless. There were a few weird or drunk characters here and there, such as one drunk man who complimented my hair on the way out of a shop and reached out to shake my hand. The worst 'fight' I saw was a couple arguing loudly in Veliky Novgorod, attracting a bit of attention. 8:01 I can't comment too much on this, cause the only Russians I met who I really got talking to were ones I already knew from online, and they're more or less like anyone else I've known from any other country, i.e. not cold or anything. Plus, I'm not fully ethnically British (I have long, curly hair), so I know I attracted a few stares and weird looks just based on my appearance. For whatever reason, quite a large number of staff members / service workers seemed furious, like they'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed (I'm not just talking about their face but rather what they said). But a few were really nice. It's true that people in St Petersburg are slightly more polite than in Moscow (which I've heard from some other travellers there), but it didn't make a difference to me: the overall impression was still that staff in Russia are far grumpier and ruder than here, and I didn't feel as able to ask those ones for help. Reading the comments from Russians claiming Russians don't have fake smiles or don't smile for no reason, the funny thing is, lots of Russians I know have asked me to smile more, which I find ironic. They definitely do force a smile sometimes, on photos for example. 9:34 True. It is visually more "European" (specifically continental European: Parisian or Dutch, based on my experiences there), and the youth did seem to be more "hip". It kind of reminded me of L.A. vs. New York (Moscow). (I've never been to America, but I've seen people say similar things about those cities and seen a lot of content from both areas.) Personally though, I preferred Moscow: it's far more navigable (SPB's metro is next to useless except for commuters), and there were far more annoying street scammers and enforcement of surcharges for foreigners in St. Petersburg. And in general, the city's mock-Parisian-Dutch appearance did seem a bit feigned and incomplete to me (probably because of me having actually been to Paris and Amsterdam). 9:48 I do agree. The Hermitage is definitely one of the highlights of SPB, if not the highlight. 10:28 This is really insightful from your perspective. I never got to experience what it was like dealing in English in Russia really, cause I speak Russian. But I'm going to fix that for next time and try to use English more. What I can say though is that I overheard Americans in Zaryadye Park in Moscow and, to my shock, a British woman at the bus station in Veliky Novgorod. There are definitely enough English-speaking foreigners in Russia that you are likely to hear them if you wander the streets every day. 10:56 For this, I'd recommend using apps as much as possible. Yandex.Taxi, Вкусно - и точка, Tutu.ru etc. (That is, if you don't want to relish the opportunity to speak to local strangers despite not knowing their language, however awkward it may be.) 11:29 For this, I recommend www.valuta24.ru/moskva/karta/kurs-dollara/pokupka/, a great site that I found via a simple Google search. It helped me find the banks with the best rates nearby. 11:34 It's not the only choice for foreigners. A lot of forum users and KZbinrs/commenters recommended getting a Tinkoff Black debit card. Tinkoff specifically advertises them to foreigners, because they only require a Russian phone number, no residency or notarised passport translations or anything. If you're not going for long and not planning to go a second time, it's probably not worth it, but it makes things 10x easier, and I highly recommend it. www.tinkoff.ru/bank/help/debit-cards/tinkoff-black/foreign/eng/get-tinkoff-black/get-card/. (If anyone goes with this option, when you receive the card, tell the representative to switch it to the hidden 6.2 tariff. It has no service fee.) 11:45 It would seem that I left just before the drone attacks you're talking about. I wouldn't say that the drone attacks in and of themselves are frequent or deadly enough to pose an increased risk of harm compared to going to any other country. The Prigozhin mutiny (which happened a couple weeks before I arrived) did give me pause, but nothing more really came of it, and to my luck Red Square reopened the day before I arrived. Very good, straightforward and informative video. Thank you.

[@bobfruit7400]

long live Russia

[@user-nu5rb2sl2o]

❤

[@StephenButlerOne]

I was talking to the wife abiut me and her doing this. My reasoning was, it would be quieter than usual. We did paris in lockdown. Best paris trip ever. No crowds everywhere open.

[@michaelberriman3333]

There are still crowds but not near what they used to be. With this said be sure to make dinner reservations for good restaurants, they are busy even on week nights.

[@user-op8uw5bx8v]

You are lucky it was sunny in St Petersburg. There is a legend, that you see sun just once in a year in St Petersburg)

[@kateangie6980]

It is actually quite sunny and warm in St. Petersburg in the summer, but winter could be cloudy and even rainy sometimes, and very windy. So better visit in the summer, especially when there’s white nights season.

[@boneone5864]

Скажите пожалуйста какие районы в Москве считаются опасными? Просто я живу в Москве, но не знаю таких и не хочу подвергать себя опасности. 😂 За видео лайк, welcome to Russia.

[@alligator99noma18]

Эти районы настолько микроскопические, что просто патологически незаметны )))))

[@DemanDeSoleil]

Я тоже не знала о их существование)) жила себе в Москве, ходила ночью от метро до дома) и не знала😂

[@user-op2ll8lx1k]

Картина преступности сильно меняется с годами. Раньше не рекомендовалось в одиночестве ходить по ночам в районах Текстильщиков, Битцевского Парка, Речного Вокзала. Сейчас не знаю. Днëм безопасна вся Москва.

[@user-xh3ub2gt8n]

Наша Матушка-Россия! 🇷🇺❤❤❤

[@marias5088]

What places are not safe in Moscow? I bet the places that you thought were not safe in Moscow are much safer than most safe places in London. I have family and friends in Moscow, and I've never heard them say that they are afraid to go anywhere there. Couldn't you take your gf's parents with you or their male friends to visit those places?

[@user-cw2vu6qo1l]

hi. in Moscow, in large cities, in medium-sized cities, you can safely walk everywhere. There is no concept of a ghetto in Russia. the peculiarity of large cities is that there is video surveillance everywhere, and the search for criminals is very simple and fast. therefore, objectively, crime is decreasing

[@marias5088]

@@user-cw2vu6qo1l That's exactly what I thought. Thank you for sharing!

[@ElenaLink]

А а деревнях, тем более, все друг друга знают

[@biggusduckus6489]

Люберцы😅?

[@user-bq5vq6zq8w]

Reutovo, lubertcy, both of butovo, electrozavodskaya, anywhere near train depos besides ttk

[@aplgolab908]

I’ve been living in Moscow for more than 16 years and didn’t know that there were any bad parts you’ve mentioned. What bad parts did you mean? 👀

[@OliverAnwarHealth]

I probably didn’t explain this well. When I meant bad parts I’m referring to a few areas that might be slightly hostile but calling them bad was a miscalculation on my part.

[@aplgolab908]

@@OliverAnwarHealth In Moscow and in any other city of Russia there no such thing like bad neighborhood or ghetto, due to absence of national, ethnic, racial or any other segregation. You might face problem in any part of the city without reference to specific area but in overall Moscow is absolutely safe.

[@dlutz7248]

Kotelniki? Vykhino?)) Just kidding.

[@A-fo4sc]

​@@OliverAnwarHealththere are no areas that would be hostile to western tourists that come to Russia with good attitude to our country, people and culture. Somehow unlike in your part of the world no one ever taught us to fear and dislike any other nations. Not in the Soviet times, not now. If anything, being a foreign tourist here is an advantage. People would be extra curious and ready to help.

[@junglesuperstar9270]

@@OliverAnwarHealthyour miscalculation is that you can’t name them. What exact neighborhoods do you consider bad? Solntsevi?

[@darrell3O87OO]

Great video, good advice. A tip for your video editing. I would suggest you put the video clips from your phone on the left or right side of the screen. Putting them in the centre just covers you up and we see your bookshelf and wall on the sides. Just a tip, keep up the good work 👍

[@NataliaYasnaya]

Very good advice

[@everydayrussia]

Hmm, I did not know about Dangerous Places in Moscow :) Need to find out and make a video at night!! Cheers

[@honesty_-no9he]

Compare to the USA you don't have any.

[@user-cc9cu8im9d]

Да во всей стране опасно. Попробуй выйти на улицу с флагом Украины и заорать их бредовые кричалки в любое время суток.

[@16_98]

@@user-cc9cu8im9dничего не будет 😂😂 посмотрят как на фрика и всё 😂

[@ML-lz5rn]

Thanks for good words about our country and Russian people❤❤❤❤

[@ArturMorgan1899]

I advise you to visit Nizhny Novgorod, which is famous for its sunsets and architecture.

[@danilakas]

Сам из России, сам мечтаю туда поехать однажды😅 В качестве художника

[@user-fu9sc7iz9y]

@@danilakas мне очень понравилось. На два дня ездили. в следующий раз тоже с красками приехала бы))

[@andrewgrabber7469]

There are not bad districts in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg.

[@user-uf8fu7nb6h]

Ничего подобного. В подавляющем большинстве мест России есть просто волшебные красивейшие природные или исторические достопримечательности. Великолепная Ленинградская область. Красивейшее побережье Ладоги и Финского залива. Множество интересной истории. Карели, в основном прекрасная дикая природа. Край озёр. Золотое кольцо России. Великолепие из примерно 10 городов. На, каждый по два три дня обязательно. Великолепный Псков. Старейший Великий, Новгород сплошная история, красивейшая, природа. Особенно Пушкинские места Святогорье. Святогорский монастырь. Михайловское. Рядом старинные города основанные Рюриком. Великолепное Подмосковье. В основном связанное с, церквями. Урал. Истории связанная, с, царём. Город самоцветов. Великолепный минералогический музей. Прекрасный музей авто с коллекцией фордовмкиз машин с вооружением первой и второй мировых войн. Включая, подлодки. Прекрасный я Байкал. Вели её олепнвц Алтай. вВладиаостом. Камчатка. Только невежда или завистник может сказать сто есть районы в Москве м Питере. Скорее завистливый англосакс. Оболгать и извратить в крови.

[@LanaLender]

А какие районы в Москве не безопасные? Вроде у нас с безопасностью везде более-менее порядок.

[@denisteleshevskii6098]

Статистика говорит, что самый небезопасный район - ЦАО :)

[@user-se3gv6bu9g]

В свое время много говорили про Гольяново. Но, там ничего такого жуткого нет.

[@elenanikitina5206]

без стереотипов не обошлось

[@Skelterer]

Да хрен его знает, что он имел в виду. У меня был коллега, британец из лондона, он когда приехал в москву, не пил ничего кроме кока-колы, потому что жена ему сказала, что пить что-то кроме этого в России - смертельно опасно.

[@user-se3gv6bu9g]

@@elenanikitina5206 чтоб стереотипы отвалились ему надо пожить в Москве подольше.

[@user-dl1kq3qy8h]

Какие это плохие места в Москве, которые ты решил не посещать? Например. И ещё, никто вас в банке не обманет при обмене валюты, все поменяют по курсу банка. Не надо выдумывать чего не знаешь.

[@igrok878]

Котельники, видимо. Кузьминки по праздникам мало отличаются от Душанбе.

[@yemisitijani1218]

A brit must lie 😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@user-ke3so7mf2n]

Интересно, где в Москве есть опасные места, куда Вы не захотели пойти? Даже предположить не могу. Квартиры незнакомых людей? Подвалы заброшенных домов? В остальных местах никто не тронет иностранца, если он сам не полезет в драку.

[@melania6943]

I’m so happy you liked our country! Thank you for sharing this content) It’s always nice to hear such positive feedback from foreigners 🤝

[@aliya-lim]

Thank u for this video. Such a nice video and great experience! Thanks for sharing.

[@LinBeReal]

It's fascinating to me, and I don't even know how to react, when people start telling how they are surprised how Russian people are kind and smart and friendly etc as if all human beings didn't have different personality traits, social and professional skills... I'm glad to see people who make videos on my country since it makes people stop only seeing these weird stereotypes about Russia. But at the same time I feel saddened at how some people just go along with the belief that a whole nation can be cathegorized. Of course different ethnicities have different physical traits and cultural differences, and those should be acknowledged. Yet we're still humans at the end.

[@epicmissadventureiii423]

There is no bad place in Moscow now

[@dkl6397]

You’re always welcome! Thanks for the video ❤

[@Moments_In_China]

Thank you for the video. Good luck

[@vvp_rus]

Fears and terrible forebodings are always with those who use to live in scary and terrible places

[@user-rq3vt4kg4o]

Thanks for share your experience!

[@bluetvsports]

Sound goot, on my trip to Saint Petersburg on August 2023 they questioned me in an office at the airport for 3 hours. but at the end worth it

[@nickpowell7643]

As a russian who lives in London, I couldn't agree more. The degeneracy in the UK compared to Russia is crazy. If you're ever in Russia, drop me a message, you always have a place to stay.❤

[@ghos7bear]

Its funny how people manufacture some image of Russia and then you see people surprised that its not the case at all. To be fair, its not the people manufacturing it though.

[@Marinka007Wolf]

About English speakers in Russia: I think that in Moscow you visited mostly touristic places where there are people from all over Russia coming. So people from smaller cities mostly don’t know English However in Saint Petersburg there are more local places. So that young people there, students, etc. you met there were speaking English, more then in Moscow

[@Marusia3342]

Можно поинтересоваться,где в Москве опасные районы??Всю жизнь тут живу,ни разу не слышала.

[@Scarlusha6487]

Может быть это районы которые становятся мигрантскими гетто, были видосы что жители бастовали против мигрантов там

[@NataliaYasnaya]

@@Scarlusha6487Да, только такие, и то относительно

[@kasi_056pl]

Really enjoyed watching your video, thank you 👍👍👍

[@iliana5361]

Beautiful, that is nice you tell about Russia! Respect ❤

[@Arinka375]

“Woman being woman - that doesn’t happening in UK” That is horrible. That’s just mad. God, every day I love my motherland Russia more and more❤

[@thakurpandit4039]

Tons of good things shared. Tons of Thanks.

[@swastonsss]

Thanks for the visit😊❤

[@olgasvitneva4606]

Thank you for your video! Good job!

[@projectsubaru]

Love this video. I agree with a lot of what you said about the toxic wokeism we are fed. I also think we are fed bs as to what/how Russia is to create an unnecessary enemy from the actual enemies who are in our gov't. I appreciate you taking the time to put this video together and show us what is actually true. It sounds like the US could take several pages from Russia's book. And I am definitely looking forward to what the interview with Tucker and Putin holds.

[@OliverAnwarHealth]

Thanks dude! I agree with you

[@neilprocter]

Do you think we should just ignore the fact that Russia has invaded a sovereign nation and is responsible for tens if thousands of deaths? Should we just support the Russian tourist industry regardless?

[@s_lasgalen]

A small correction as a Russian student living in the UK who sometimes visits home - you can also fly through Serbia which is much faster and cheaper than through Istanbul.

[@Mariya_req22]

Спасибо за видео! Приезжайте в Сибирь, а Горный Алтай - невероятное место с потрясающей природой ❤ Привет из Алтайского края 👋

[@RezetRoy]

The most unsecure action could happen to you in Moscow it's when someone accidentally pushes you in metro

[@Homyak555]

"Я же не знал, что у вас не везде можно ходить У нас вот везде можно"

[@user-uz5of1ne2t]

Брат ! )

[@richardgithens1960]

I found your video very useful. Thank you Oliver.

[@user-be3dx5hd6s]

Thanks for this story. It's very nice when people come to my country and experience how things really are

[@MsMelkus]

The biggest issue you may have on a border control is extended conversation in a separate room. At least 2 my Russian friends with secondary passports living outside the Russia had to spend additional 15(?) minutes to answer some questions.

[@stanspb763]

There was a time last year that males from from certain arias back into Russia that that has to be questioned. I was held up that way flying into Moscow from 2 weeks visiting Bishek and they flagged by a telephone number labels as "Svetlana Odessa". I met her at a fashion show I was hired to shoot the photos and after the last walk I get into a long conversation with her since she was the designer of one set featured...great conversation and a beautiful girl. I forgot her last name so later added Odessa because our conversation about our vacations there years before. That set off alarm bells with the inspectors so they called here everything seemed to pass the smell test. Minutes later there was a scuffle between the offices and a man who was on the flight. They rushed me out with others. I heard the caught a suspected terrorist, a Ukrainian who had the parts to assemble a bomb spread between different suitcases. I membered him on the plane but did not notice anything, That was a year ago and I got the impression is was a targeted investigation.

[@MsMelkus]

@@stanspb763 not males only, my female friend was asked 2 months ago. Maybe because of her hip hop style, not sure. I do not have a lot statistics however, but sometimes it happens.

[@KOL0VOROT]

Special attention to citizens of Ukraine, Georgia and the Baltic states - messages on social networks are viewed and entry may be denied Особое внимание гражданам Украины, Грузии и Прибалтики - просматриваются сообщения в социальных сетях и могут отказать во въезде kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5jaepmuoMportE

[@well9179]

​@@KOL0VOROTsome said many russian speakers in Baltic States are actually Ukrainian or Sympthizer. Ukrainian woman who killed Russian journalist Daria Dugina succesfully flew to Estonia. a young russian girl who blown up Russian war vloger Vladen Tatarsky in St. Petersburg got instructed by Russian citizen who work for SBU. So...we know the reason.

[@oliviao3686]

​@@stanspb763wait, wait, do they question Russian citizens as well?? That's crazy, I haven't heard that. I live abroad and I have some Ukranian friends and contacts on me

[@benjamins8082]

Union pay works everywhere in Russia. You can open the card with your bank.

[@RezetRoy]

I wouldn't say "everywhere". 60-70 percent of cases it will work

[@denisklimov8395]

Nice story, thanks :)

[@user-ij8cn2jn4c]

Thank you for a very pleasant review! 😊 You’re welcome in our country anytime! ❤

[@OliverAnwarHealth]

Thank you!

[@user-bq3gx3wb7q]

Thanks Oliver!!!!!