Top 10 Myths About Russia and FSU

There are some myths about FSU countries such as bears walking on the streets and the lack of running water in the cities. So, if you are curious to know whether it is true or not, this article will answer your questions.

Myth N 1 – The FSU women are only interested in foreigners, because of a green card or a ticket out of their country.
We do not deny that there are cases of women playing extensive scams to get a visa/green card to leave the country. If you want to determine how sincere she really is - watch for red flags in your communication. If the woman does not seem sincere or gives you reasons to question her intentions, we would encourage you to take your time deciding about future steps of your relationship and exercising extra caution.

Myth N 2 – All FSU girls are out for money.
Definitely, some girls are looking for ways to rip you off. There are plenty of "rich-husband-hunters" everywhere. Besides, Europe and US are not an exception. It is practically impossible to read another person’s mind or determine her motives at times and know for a fact "does she" or "doesn’t she." The only piece of advice we can give you is to follow our basic safety rules and keep an eye out for red flags.

Myth N 3 – The FSU people are impolite.
Some foreigners have actually left Ukraine with such an impression. Yes, you can meet people, whose manners lay at home covered by a thick layer of dust. In general, people here do not want to insult or offend anyone. The reason for making an impression of a "rude" nation is simply because they are straightforward. In comparison to the US, for example, where people are used to hints and consequently remaining diplomatic, the FSU people do not use such methods. They are extremely direct in their behavior and communication. The only way to deal with this is: a) do not take it personally; b) talk to the person to find out what he/she means (a cultural gap often leads to many misunderstandings). Chances are, you will both benefit from the experience and will be laughing over whatever seemed to be a problem after just a few minutes of conversation.

Myth N 4 – There are problems with electricity and running water.
Unfortunately, there still are some areas where you can come across with such problems. However, they are few and far between. If you are in any big city, you won't notice any differences from your home: hotels and apartments for rent are going Euro style, and you'll have no problems with showers, hot/cold water, electricity and any other commodities.

Some people are also interested if it is safe to drink tap water or use it to brush their teeth. It definitely does not recommended to drink tap water. It is safe for showers, washing your face and brushing teeth, you will not transform into a monster after using it. However, for your convenience and peace of mind, purified water is sold in stores (bottles from 0,5 liter to 5 liters), which you are free to use for all your necessities.

Most cities have Internet cafes and many other types of services; you will not feel that you visit an undeveloped country.

Myth N 5 – Beer or vodka?
Bear has always been a symbol of Russia. In 2000 bear has been officially named a "live symbol of the Russian forest", you can look at these magnificent strong creatures in many movies depicting Russian culture. However, the reality is much less attractive. Brown bears have been listed as one of the disappearing species back in 1998. Since 1995, World Wildlife Fund has been conducting projects for brown bear preservation in the northern regions of Russia. So, you'd better visit zoo if you are eager to meet at least one.

As for vodka – it is plentiful as ever. However, a word of caution here also: many brands are fighting with the problem of being falsified. If you want to buy a quality alcohol drink, look for it in specialty stores or ask one of the natives to help you to find a reliable product.

Myth N 6 – All former USSR countries are still "Russia".
While former USSR countries may be called that for convenience reasons, you will score extra points with people you meet overseas if you actually show them you know their country as an independent entity. Imagine for a minute if someone said: "Oh, well, you are from the US, I might as well call you all New Yorkers!" Feel the difference? Same with the FSU countries: while they are all closely connected and culturally linked, they take pride in their independence and you have a chance of showing yourself as a culture conscious, well rounded person that you are if you avoid labeling all as "Russia."

Myth N 7 – Russian mafia is everywhere.
They may very well be, but it is very likely that you will not even guess or see them. While levels of corruption and organized crime are still high in the FSU countries, you will not have any trouble if you follow the basic safety rules, keep clear of suspicious friends and places and remember to use common sense.

Myth N 8 – People will take advantage of me if they know I am a foreigner.
Most likely. Many entrepreneurs will use this fact to their advantage. The key to not being ripped off is keeping a low profile and making connections with locals, who will be able to tell you if you are getting a good deal or a good scam. Plus, if you are shopping/eating/partying with a local, chances of you getting fair treatment and prices are high. However, you should keep in mind that some places of interest (especially in large cities) have a policy of higher entrance fees for foreigners. Unfortunately, in such cases these are the rules you will have to accept.

Myth N 9 – Russia is cheap.
In fact, it depends on where you are going. Moscow and St Petersburg have been named among the top expensive cities of the world, shifting some Western capitals and cities further down the list. If you are visiting a capital of an FSU country, it will be definitely more expensive than the regional centers. For example, in Ukraine you can find food and alcohol quite inexpensive, instead, you will have to pay up on apartment, appliances and consumer electronics, if you choose to buy any. Also, remember that most handmade souvenirs will not run cheap, but you will pay less if you wait to buy them in smaller cities.

Myth N 10 – Russian women are stunningly beautiful.
It is hard to meet a foreigner, who has remained indifferent to Russian women's beauty. Maybe this phenomenon is best explained by a complex ethnic mix, which has formed during the 70 years of communism, or by some other factors, but it remains a widespread knowledge that Former Soviet girls are beautiful. Many people share an opinion that among the most beautiful ladies of the world, still the best live in Russia.

Besides, Russian brides are also smart. The level of education in the FSU schools has been admittedly recognized as is much more extensive than many other educational systems. Most students know some foreign language, it is common for graduates of high schools to have gone as far as calculus level in maths, and they most likely have read top classical works of world literature. But do not take our word for it, the ladies will prove to you they have brains to go along with beauty when you begin communicating with them.

Love and crime: Fighting scam in the dating scene

Brides from Russia and former Soviet Union countries are still very popular in the West. While at the same time more and more Russian girls would like to marry a foreigner. But as the industry expands it attracts increasing number of scammers that want to make money on other people’s feelings. CuteOnly CEO Nikolay Pokrovsky tells about the countermeasures they take at CuteOnly against scammers and gives advice on how to recognize scammers in the altered present day situation.

Not so long ago Russian girls were heading West in search of material welfare, and their marriages were more of a business deal than a love affair. The good news is that nowadays welfare could be attained here in Russia. So contemporary Russian women are not so much after the prosperity, but rather after love and affection that are so hard to find in their homeland. According to the population census of 2002 there are 10 million less men in Russia than women. Due to the devaluation of family values most Russian men are not family oriented. Thus Russian belles are forced to seek husbands in the western world where men are traditionally more inclined to build strong families — women want a good marriage and kids born in love.

On the other hand, with the expansion of the Internet it became a lot easier for Russian women to get acquainted with foreign men. If earlier Russian Internet dating was limited to go-between marriage agencies, and such were quite often light-fingered, then now most women can access the web independently from home, college or office. It opens a great opportunity for Internet communities such as CuteOnly where Russian girls can post their profiles without having to visit CuteOnly office. As a result of this, the number of active female customers of CuteOnly has increased from a few hundred to tens of thousands in less than 2 years.

But unfortunately the growth of the industry couldn’t be overlooked by criminals. The underdeveloped legal base of cyber crimes in Russia and the complexity of proving such crimes have made it possible for scammers to extort rather large sums of money from westerners without being afraid of criminal prosecution. Here are some of the key factors that hinder justice:

In order to initiate prosecution a victim has to do it himself or provide a Russian lawyer with a notarized letter of attorney to act on the victim’s behalf. Costs in a criminal case usually exceed the sum pinched by the scammer.
The bill of complaint has to be filed in the place of the scammer’s permanent residence. Taking into view the vast territories of Russia, he or she could be living in the middle of nowhere or, say, somewhere in Siberia where it’s impossible to find a lawyer that understands English.
Even if the case is opened, this kind of fraud is particularly difficult to prove: if the scammer is a female, she can always admit the fact of receiving money and it won’t even be considered a fraud — after all, men do give women presents, don’t they? It’s not making the case any easier when the scammer is a man: he would always have a female accomplice so that he could accept the monetary transfer to a female name.
Russian law-enforcement authorities have no experience investigating such crimes, so the chances of success are rather low.

So, if the money has been sent to a scammer, it’s practically impossible to get it back. Therefore the only effective measure is to apply our best efforts to prevent the crime. At CuteOnly we endeavor that in two directions:

Careful verification of CuteOnly female customers. At the registration stage it is required to provide an active phone number. Before profile activation we contact each girl over the phone in order to analyze not only her answers to our questions but also her reaction. If the provided number is wrong or out of use, we will not activate the profile. But experienced scammers sometimes are prepared for the telephone check, so some rare cases of scam may have place even at CuteOnly.
Automatic keyword filtration of correspondence. Of course we do not read the correspondence of our customers. The checking algorithm works like this: if the filter detects in a given letter certain keywords that are typical for scammers, male customer receives an automatic notice from our support system warning him of a possible scam attempt and giving him advice on how to recognize if it really is scam.

Customers of other Russian dating websites that do not practice such defense procedures can secure themselves from scammers by remembering three warning signs characteristic for 90% of all scam attempts:

A girl declares her love in the first letters. For Russian ladies it’s even less typical than, say, for Americans.
The letters are not personalized. It’s natural for the first introduction letter — many women send a similar message to different men to increase the number of responses. But if the girl addresses you with words like ’dear’, ’my sweetie’ etc. and doesn’t even bother to call you by name after you’ve exchanged a few messages — it gives out a pattern used by scammers.
A girl asks for money to pay for the internet, to take English lessons, to help sick relatives etc. Russia is not such a poor country anymore, and normal Russian girls don’t ask for money from strangers.

And finally to minimize the risks just obey one simple rule: never give cash! Do you know why scammers prefer Western Union? Because once the transfer has been received it’s impossible to get the money back. After all, if you’re growing so fond of your lady and you want her to come for a visit, you can order the airfare for her and pay it with a credit card. Good luck dating!

Do not label Russian women as Russian mail order brides!

There is no single man who would not want to meet a woman who is beautiful, intelligent, educated, fit, stylish and sexy. All men want a girlfriend like this! The problem is there are not many girls possessing those qualities that are unattached and available. Girls like this usually have a string of admirers and an attitude. You might even think they are out of your league.

Think again! In your country, this may be true... But the world is so much bigger than that! In some countries, things are exactly the opposite way around: there is a huge shortage of nice, intelligent and stable single men! Take Eastern Europe for example: the latest statistics from The Economist show that in places like Russia and Ukraine there are only 88 men for 100 women! In Russia alone, there are 10 million more women than men!

It means there are TEN MILLION WOMEN that will NEVER find a partner! Historically, during 20th century, women in Russia always outnumbered men, with World War 2 that took lives of 20 million Soviet people, and other 20 million people that died in Stalin's concentration camps. 90% of them were men. At that time, for a Russian woman, simply having a man was a blessing!

This created a unique situation between the genders where women were forced to perfect their looks in order to find and keep a mate. Check Russian dating sites: you will find there thousands beautiful girls that are looking for a partner: well groomed, fashionable and stylish, they will leave you breathless. Read about their education and you will be stunned: most of them possess advanced university degrees.

Do not be surprised: about 60% of people in Russia have college or university degrees, others have completed at least 2-year professional training. The system of professional education was inherited from the Soviet times, where young people were required to attend professional training after completing the mandatory high school qualification. They don't have equivalents of associate or honors degrees, and the person has to complete at least 4-year degree, or they don't receive ANY qualification. This is how the state convinces young people to complete their studies. (By the way, education and medical are still f*r*e*e in Russia.)

On Russian dating sites, you will find thousands women that are beautiful, intelligent, educated, fit, stylish and sexy - and at the same time unattached and available. Moreover, they are looking for nice, intelligent and stable guys - just like you! The bad news is, you will never be able to meet them... Why?

Because you never look at Russian dating sites. You have the attitude that "Russian mail order brides" are something a decent man will never consider: it is only desperate losers that would look for a partner at such sites. You read in press horror stories about "Russian mail order brides" and this phrase is strongly connected in your mind with such topics as violence, abuse, sexual exploitation, trafficking in women and immigration frauds. You believe that men that seek wives abroad simply cannot find anybody in their own country and seek obedient, submissive wives. Do you?

Well, then you are for a wake up call. There is no such a thing as "Russian mail order brides" - no more than there is Santa Claus! There are Russian women seeking suitable partners. Those women are not desperate to leave their country and are proud of their inheritance and culture. They are educated, intelligent, and smart. They are not going to become intimate submissives or maids. They will not tolerate infidelity or abuse. They truly seek SUITABLE partners and will not jump on anybody, just to get out of their misery.

In fact, they do NOT consider their life miserable! On her average salary, a Russian woman can afford to attend live performances and beauty saloons a few times a month, buy best-selling books, latest fashion and Italian shoes. The same is applicable to many Russian women seeking partners abroad. They are articulate, sophisticated, well read and well traveled.

Obedient, submissive "Russian mail order brides" do not exist! Learn more about this topic and you will understand that "Russian mail order brides" is just a label. A human being cannot be ordered as an item, and so called "marriage agencies" (dating services) do not sell women. They sell access to contact information of their members, that's it - just like you join a local singles club and they give you contact details of people that may be interested in meeting you. Only men and women, themselves, decide whom they want to date. You cannot buy a bride!