Why Foreigners Should NOT Move to Russia (The Russia Trap)

Some Westerners are moving to Russia with a completely false idea of what life here is actually like. They think Moscow is a conservative, Christian, nationalist utopia—free from feminism, LGBT people, and modern social trends. They believe Russia has ‘preserved traditional values’ in a way the West has supposedly lost.
But here’s the reality: Moscow is not that place.
If you move here expecting a frozen-in-time conservative paradise, you’re in for a rude awakening.
But does that mean you shouldn’t move to Russia? Not necessarily. If you come with an open mind, you might fall in love with Moscow the way I did. But if you’re moving here to escape something rather than experience something, you’re going to be disappointed.
Let’s talk about The Russia Trap—and why so many foreigners are getting it wrong.

Video inspired by @Dogen

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[JonnyTickle]

Thank you all for watching! I love living in Russia, and I think Moscow is the greatest city in the world, and I would love for more people to experience it. I just want them to experience Moscow for what it really is – a great, modern, vibrant city – instead of what they imagine it will be.

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Thanks!

[AussieInRussia]

I don’t live in Moscow or St. Petersburg, or even a big city, so my experience differs. But ultimately, Westerners should move to Russia if they LOVE Russia. Not the idealised version sold to them by new arrivals, or on the word of content creators trying to portray Russia as a “Western country without the agenda” for clicks and views. But for her beautiful cultural amalgamations, history, and most of all, for the people. There are no perfect countries, but for some, Russia is, but only when they accept Russia for how it is, not how they wish it was.

I absolutely adore living in Russia, but are acutely aware that abandoning the things you are told (even by me) and experiencing it ALL for yourself (Not just Moscow) is a must before committing to the move.

Also, any man who thinks that Russian women are “submissive” have probably never actually met one, and it shows.

[MsMaxho]

В России просто еще можно остаться нормальным человеком.

[guythornton]

My wife and I spent two weeks in Moscow in January (2025)...we walked our feet off...two weeks discovering this most fabulous city. Have to get back there again this year.

[YaKefireg]

Еще хочу добавить то, что каждый иностранец, который хочет переехать в Россию, то лучше ему посмотреть один из 89 регионов России, который подойдет больше к его идеям и запросам. Каждый регион отличается как по менталитету, так и по законам и традициям. Кто-то захочет остаться и жить в Москве, а кто-то захочет жить в Архангельске, в Сочи или, даже, в Якутске. Везде есть свои традиции, но все они под покровительством нашей большой страны - нашей России

[FredPhillippe]

I can’t think of a better place to vacation than Russia. What a paradise

[darkmatter]

Russia is multi-ethnic but essentially mono-cultural, not the multicultural melting pot that the west aspires to become. That's one thing that foreigners need to take into consideration before making any plans.

[themanfromdystopia]

The UK HAS been destroyed from within by mass uncontrolled, unintegrated immigration, the rapid spread of a very corrosive left-wing ideology and extreme identity politics. It's not a "bogeyman" or a right-wing conspiracy, it's a fact of life for all but a few people still lucky enough or wealthy enough to live in a part of the country that is still largely unaffected by those things, and those parts are rapidly diminishing.

I don't consider myself to be particularly to the right or left, I'm not racist, xenophobic or homophobic. I'm not religious but I do feel that growing up in a predominantly Christian society with strong family values was very beneficial to me, and I don't see any country as some kind of utopia that has no problems, that would be very naïve, but the particular problems that are plaguing British society right now are not nearly as prevalent in Russia and given the choice, I'd confidently choose to live in Russia right now, and that's not a hyperbolic or uniformed decision, that's a well informed fact based choice.

[nicholasthebest]

As for Japan, the financial crisis there is worse than in Europe. I always thought that Japan lives in 2050, but I was very surprised that their banking system is 50 years behind Russia. It seems to me even worse than in Great Britain. In Japan, people still use VHS tapes and VCRs. PS The only downside to Moscow is the weather, even in Siberia there are many more sunny days than in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

[vdotme]

I saw a monthly gas bill and realised that I need to move to Russia.

[WanBrit]

I agree completely, Moscow is the best city I've been to - it has absolutely everything for everyone. I'm pretty sure that even if you were into hunting and fishing, there's parts of Moscow that could cater to you. If I were to settle anywhere else in the world, it would definitely be in Russia without a shadow of a doubt, although the only thing I would do to make this easier would be to learn more Russian language.

[pickxd]

Как этнический коренной русский подтверждаю всё сказаное автором видео.Женщины в России с древних времен имели равноправие но решающее слово в большинстве случаев оставались за мужчиной Вам нужно понимать что мы не мусульмане.

[ТинаВолина]

100% правда. Нет идеальной страны в мире. Но Россия придерживается во всем меру без крайностей и это прекрасно.

[baltoon]

Very good and truthful speech. But there is one addition. Russia is unique in its size, multiculture and diverse natural conditions. That is, everyone can find something of their own, what they need. Muslim? Go to a Muslim region. Buddhist? There are also regions where Buddhists live. There is no need to talk about Jews and Christians. If you like the sun and heat, go to the south. If you are looking for snow, frost, taiga, go to the north. There are mountains, rivers, prairies, islands, sea coasts... everything is there. And of course, there are cities and regions where patriarchal values ​​are stronger, but there are also large cities, similar to European or American ones, only cleaner and more orderly.

[ПосольствоРусскихПисателей]

At first I thought it was a BBC presenter reporting…

Well done.

[annabakhaeva]

Oh, I’ve got so much to say on this topic. Not sure that YouTube comments are the right place to say these things though.
Just a bit of historical facts.
The first female cabinet minister in history was Alexandra Kollontai who was the People’s Commissar for Welfare in the Soviet Government in 1917-1918.
Abortions were legalized in the USSR in 1955.
The first gender reassignment surgeries in Russia were conducted in the early 1970s and were seen as a major medical breakthrough.
So yeah… I mean, thank you for this video, really.

[valuee]

Я москвич, могу подтвердить, что сказанное Джонни, в большей степени верно. Кое что хочу уточнить и дополнить. Развестись за 15 минут можно в случае отсутствия у супругов общих детей. Если есть ребенок, то развод осуществляется только через суд, и любая сторона может попросить суд отложить судебное заседание на 6 месяцев, с целью попытки примирения. И суд это скорее всего одобрит. Тем не менее это мало кого останавливает, и количество разводов и матерей одиночек весьма велико.
Если женщина родит ребенка в течение 300 дней после развода, то отцом ребенка будет считаться бывший супруг. И если этот ребенок не от него, ему придется это доказывать в суде, на это дается не более 100 дней, и это может оказаться непростым делом. И вообще в бракоразводных судебных процессах суд занимает сторону матери в большинстве случаев.
Кстати бракосочетание в подавляющем большинстве случаев происходит вообще без участия священника, церковь в России не имеет к браку никакого отношения. Особо религиозные люди могут провести церковную церемонию по случаю свадьбы, это называется "венчание". Но мало кто так делает.
Да, самое большое заблуждение на счет покорных женщин и "традиционных семейных ценностей". Я бы сказал, что в России нет таких традиций, о которых идет речь. В то же время равноправия тоже нет - у женщин больше прав, чем у мужчин. К примеру, в России женщины не могут быть осуждены на пожизненное заключение даже за особо тяжкие преступления, а колоний (тюрем) строгого режима для женщин не существует. Само собой женщины не являются военнообязанными, а государственные субсидии при рождении детей, так называемый "материнский капитал", полагается только матерям (что понятно уже из названия).


Я мог бы еще много чего сказать на затронутые темы, но уже напечатал слишком много текста.
Джонни, спасибо за видео. Всем мир!

[frankgorman]

I like Moscow but I prefer St. Petersburg, Moscow is just too big for my tastes

[clarkl]

Thanks for exploring this perspective. I had to chuckle at your comments around @4:00. You described reasons for people wanting to live in Russia. First, what people AREN'T coming to Russia for : culture, history, adventure, language. Then, you described Conservative Christians coming for a 'haven'. 😂 When I lived in Russia for a year, I traveled all over, visited the Baltics, learned some Russian, made friends with locals, learned history and navigated the Moscow Metro (and the GORGEOUS stations)AND LOVED it!
ALL while being a Conservative Christian woman in my 50s...

[Dmitryyasch]

Russia has many regions. For religious it's old cities, for farmers it's Altai or South, for industrials Siberia