Taiga Diglot Groupie Australia Joined 6310 days ago 81 posts - 85 votes 5 sounds Speaks: English, Spanish Studies: Russian, Serbo-Croatian
| Message 1 of 20 05 August 2008 at 4:21pm | IP Logged |
Just wondering, is Moscow safe for non-Russian looking people like me?
I would love to visit the city but I'm concerned with the security after hearing a lot about neo-nazi movements in Moscow.
Bolshoe Spasibo :D
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Siberiano Tetraglot Senior Member Russian Federation one-giant-leap.Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6493 days ago 465 posts - 696 votes Speaks: Russian*, English, ItalianC1, Spanish Studies: Portuguese, Serbian
| Message 2 of 20 06 August 2008 at 2:38am | IP Logged |
AFAIK, Moscow is full of non russian looking people. It depends how you look. If you're black or "dark" like central-asian or middle-eastern people, some people may be unfriendly and better not to get to unsafe districts. Otherwise it won't be a problem.
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William Camden Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6272 days ago 1936 posts - 2333 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French
| Message 3 of 20 07 August 2008 at 3:23pm | IP Logged |
A "Caucasian" appearance may cause you problems.
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ColdBlue Groupie Angola Joined 6573 days ago 40 posts - 41 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian
| Message 4 of 20 15 August 2008 at 1:41am | IP Logged |
If you are white (European) then you'll not have any problems. If not then you'll need to be careful.
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chelovek Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6087 days ago 413 posts - 461 votes 5 sounds Speaks: English*, French Studies: Russian
| Message 5 of 20 15 August 2008 at 3:21am | IP Logged |
I'm in the same boat. I'm studying Russian and really hope to go next summer, but I keep thinking back to the fact that skinheads can get away with beating and killing any foreigners they want there.
I'm currently looking into going to Kazakhstan. Everyone speaks Russian there, and it seems like a much safer, friendlier place.
Edited by chelovek on 15 August 2008 at 3:22am
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jimbo baby! Senior Member United States Joined 5977 days ago 202 posts - 208 votes 2 sounds Speaks: English*
| Message 6 of 20 17 August 2008 at 10:38am | IP Logged |
I would avoid the big cities in the West (Moscow, St. Petersburg). It's really not safe if you go out alone and sometimes the police are corrupt and will not be there to help you. If you're just going for a brief visit then stay in the populated tourist areas and don't go in the subway unless you're with people you know. If you want to stay then maybe you can try the big cities in the East. Those cities have a larger Asiatic population.
EDIT: Confused East and West.
Edited by jimbo baby! on 17 August 2008 at 12:53pm
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Siberiano Tetraglot Senior Member Russian Federation one-giant-leap.Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6493 days ago 465 posts - 696 votes Speaks: Russian*, English, ItalianC1, Spanish Studies: Portuguese, Serbian
| Message 7 of 20 17 August 2008 at 12:10pm | IP Logged |
Guys, I can't give advices to people who look different, because I haven't had to resolve their problems, but as for the general safety, it's enough not to be in the wrong place in the wrong time. Don't be at night in unsafe districts (ask the locals which are) in any mode and don't come alone at night in the districts where many young people get together (this includes some living quarters and areas with night clubs and bars). I guess this is the same in other places of the world.
jimbo baby, you are right that the police are often corrupt, but as for subway in Moscow, it is 100% safe as well as in any other subway in Russia - it's watched by police (and these work well).
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jimbo baby! Senior Member United States Joined 5977 days ago 202 posts - 208 votes 2 sounds Speaks: English*
| Message 8 of 20 17 August 2008 at 12:48pm | IP Logged |
Siberiano, I have read that many African and Asian foreign students and workers have been attacked in the subways. They often have to travel together so they are not singled out and beaten. Maybe it happens in an isolated subway car where they know there are no police present.
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