Life in Moscow FAQ: An American in Russia in 2023

The U.S. State Department has issued a new warning to Americans to leave Russia immediately—so, naturally, I'm here answering your questions about what it's like to be an American living in Russia right now...

00:00 - Time for Questions
00:17 - State Dept. Warning
01:58 - Travel To/From Russia
03:34 - Can You Survive Without Speaking Russian?
04:48 - How Are You Treated as An American?
06:13 - Renting in Moscow
09:00 - Delivery Options
09:41 - Grocery Shopping
12:33 - Transportation
13:06 - Weather
15:11 - Money, Money, Money
17:29 - What About Crypto?
19:06 - Crime/Safety
20:40 - Cultural Differences
21:34 - What Do Friends/Family Think?
22:09 - The Biggest Challenge?
23:49 - What Do You Wish The World Knew About Russia?

Thank you for your support!

[Wild-Siberia]

Im an America United States Marine Corps Veteran of the Afghanistan War, I have lived in Siberia for the last year. I will not leave Russia. They have made this plea for Americans to leave for over a year already so nothing has happened. 🇺🇸❤🇷🇺 There is plenty of us Americans in Russia!
Getting in and out of Russia is not a problem 😅

[cicacka]

I live in Moscow and feel incredibly safe here. One time i got really really drunk and got lost and a lot of people came to help, even thou it was my fault 🙈 they even paid for my taxi home, i wasnt robbed or anything, love people here❤️

[vigneshwarvenkatesan]

I'm from India. Thanks for the video. I studied medicine in Russia for 6 years. These are the words I would use in my opinion (similar to how you expressed it in the video). I met & interacted with a lot of people in Russia. Grandma's & grandpa's in Russia are very kind hearted and generous people. This is one example I would like to mention. I stayed in the dormitory for the first few years of my undergraduate studies. There is a laundry service where one of the granny's works. She used to bring food for me sometimes because I looked lean. She used to give handwritten postcards during festival days. She gave me chocolate & a written postcard for my birthday. In my senior years, I moved into an apartment. Even though I hadn't seen her for a year, when it was my birthday, she sent me a lovely birthday card with chocolate (she passed it on to the hostel warden to give to me). Russians are hard-working people. Russians love their work & respect it & they do it with perfection. We can learn a lot from Russia (as humans). Sadly politics & the media made Russia look the way it does now. By the way, aside from politics, Russia is great. We should accept it.

[mariadagloriateixeirarodri]

I love Russia, and specially Moscow !

If you had lived in Moscow during five years, leaving every day from 9 am to 5 pm, you still wouldn't have had time to get to know all the good things this wonderful city has to offer.

Russia is ancient, has a vast culture, history, literature, theater, cinema, dance - all of the highest quality - the cream of the cream (la crème de la crème)... and besides, the city of Moscow has forty percent of green areas.

I've been to Russia seven times, I speak some Russian and study Russian regularly (in addition to speaking other languages such as Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, Italian and a little German), I travel a lot around the world, so I can assure you that Russia is really an amazing country, as well as the Russian people - a people who have a welcoming soul...

[Sirindilable]

US dept: All Americans in Russia - return immediately!
E.Snowden: Nice try!

[randysiler]

I’m American and grew up during the Cold War. There are a few families I follow on YT that live in Russia. Good people. Unfortunately the administration in Washington hates Russia. It’s a shame. God Bless the Russian people!

[amanyadav]

Greetings from India. We Indians Stand With Russia 🇷🇺

Glory to Motherland Russia 🇷🇺

[jeremyfoss]

Thank you Rachel. I'm from Minnesota. We have a similar cold, gray climate as Russia does, in the winter. People from Minnesota are know as "Minnesota nice", and I think I would be welcomed openly in Russia. I have friends I have met through video games online that are from Russia. They were SUPER excited, even back then, when I could only say a few words in Russian. It caught their attention immediately, and they put in great effort to be my friend and they were excited to practice their English and to learn more from me. This gave me more hope to visiting Russia in the future. It has been a dream of mine for a long time. I have been learning Russian as a hobby, that will help me in my future travels. I hope to fit in well there, someday. :)

[claesanders]

I can fully agree with you Rachel! Been to Russia 6 times the last year to different places. People are so friendly, kind an helpful. And compare to other countries in the world Russia is safe. I love it and will move there with a pleasure. 🇷🇺🇸🇪🇷🇺

[liteupcandle]

I am Chinese, it is very easy now for us to go traveling in Russia, lots of Russian tiktokers welcoming us to go and speak with perfect chinese, so expect to see lot of Chinese tourists in the near future!

[hanamanova]

Enjoyed your video. I am foreigner in Russia and 100% agree with you. Actually, enjoyed Moscow way more than big cities in the US. People are genuinely good, nice and friendly. Wishing you success in Russia and take care.

[tracytomlinson]

A diplomat who spent years in Moscow told me how wonderful the Russian people were. When I was in Europe in the mid 70s he asked me to visit but was unable due to my work. It's refreshing to hear good things from an American living in Russia. I've have considered living abroad, especially in light of America's political and social decline.

[chadbrewer]

I have to say, I was treated better in Russia than back home. I felt homesick for weeks after being back home. I can't wait to go back

[danwalsh]

Great information. I have lived in Vladivostok for almost 3 years now and agree 100% with your experiences. I have found that the government agencies I had interaction with were all caring and treated me with respect. It was a happy day for me when I received my permanent residence status. Thanks for your video.

[shvetsov]

Мне, как орку, живущему в сердце Мордора, приятно было послушать эту девушку 😊

[catzclawmusic]

мы, русские, любим хороших людей. Мы добрые люди, нам не важно, откуда ты, кто ты, твоя культура и национальность не важна. если ты хороший человек - ты обретешь счастье здесь. Счастья тебе, милая девушка.

[paulsidaway]

I'm English and my wife is Russian. Homes in England and Krasnagorsk, Moscow.
I prefer Russia. People are friendlier . I've a great Russian family .
I see myself long term as living in Russia. I'll eventually apply for permanent residency and citizenship

[LyricalSteeler]

I've traveled a lot in Russia and I agree that they are very nice and hospitable. Will go back there one day, i miss it a lot.

[aectannko]

As a Russian citizen I much appreciated your effort. It’s nice to see that still there’re people from foreign countries who has courage to make their own opinion

[LiER]

А почему у этой милой девочки, говорящей правду, так мало просмотров?
А ну-ка, поднять щиты! Прожать лайку!