“We can no longer live a normal life”- Russians in Thailand feel the pressure as global sanctions ratchet up

[Isaan sailor]

For Russians in Russia, it’s 1984 (the George Orwell novel).  No open media, all news controlled by the benevolent government.

“Ignorance is bliss!”

[Pravda]

I'm thinking out loud here, but perhaps Russians can copy what Americans have been doing for years. Put a Canadian flag on their backpacks.

[placeholder]

2 minutes ago, Pravda said:

I'm thinking out loud here, but perhaps Russians can copy what Americans have been doing for years. Put a Canadian flag on their backpacks.

Well, if they put a Ukrainian flag on their backpacks, they could be facing years in prison

[onthedarkside]

Just a reminder here... This thread is a THAILAND news thread about Russian tourists in Thailand.

 

There are other threads in the Home Country subforums that pertain to the invasion and broader related matters.

 

Please confine discussions in this thread to the local Thailand aspects of the issue.

 

Off-topic, bickering and unsubstantiated claims posts have been removed.

[In Full Agreement]

On 3/22/2022 at 4:13 PM, Sunderland said:

Tough luck if you are Russian.

 

Same for people from my country, the UK. If the UK comes unstuck one day, then we can only blame those who voted for idiots like Boris Johnson to lead the country.

 

Don't you think there's quite a bit of difference between the UK and Russia?

 

 

[In Full Agreement]

On 3/22/2022 at 9:24 AM, mtls2005 said:

Look, you empowered your leader. Own it.

 

Vlad made you a "victim", whinge to him.

 

if you walked  a mile  in the shoes of those living under the Kremlin's tyrant, you might feel less harsh towards those about whom you speak.     I don't think many call the empowering process for Putin becoming  Russia's leader a democratic one.

 

 

[In Full Agreement]

On 3/22/2022 at 2:55 PM, sawadee1947 said:

Well, they voted for Putin, they enjoyed all benefits, they tolerate his cruel wars, they did not demonstrate against it as eg Nawalny.

Now Russians are the outcasts or Pariahs in our world.

Don't complain!????

 

 

Read a lot of Russian history,  huh?

 

 

[sawadee1947]

30 minutes ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

Read a lot of Russian history,  huh?

 

 

???? The History is, that "Ukraine' exists at least 200 years before "Russia". So there is definetely not any reason to free Ukraine. It's just Putin's History Falsification.????

[olfu]

...normal life?

Life in Russia never been normal. Says who? Me--still citizen of non-existing Soviet Union.

[Jingthing]

I happened upon a small gathering of the Da Da brigade tonight in Jomtien. They were sitting around not spending money speaking in tense hushed tones.

 

I dared not approach.

[impulse]

Great cautionary tale for those who refuse to keep a hard currency cash reserve living overseas, under the premise that ATM's and credit and debit cards have never failed them.  By "hard currency", I mean USD or Euro.  I always kept a wad in my underwear drawer, and carried $4,900 whenever I boarded an Int'l flight.   I never had to dig too deep into the reserve, but it saved me from having a real bad day on several occasions.

 

Where I used to work, our Int'l travelers were required to keep on their person a refundable, first class ticket to a friendly country in case of SHTF.  Like running over a camel, which cost the company a lot more if they were held hostage.  In case of SHTF or accident, their instructions were to head to the airport, hop on the first flight to a friendly country and let the company fix the mess with them safely away.  In Africa (Angola or Nigeria?), a group of companies kept a "yacht" in the port and the SHTF plan was to get their people on that boat and over the horizon for the US or UK navy to rescue them.  It was more of a workboat than a yacht, but it was well provisioned.

 

Anyway, I'll bet the [Russians] wish they had kept more hard cash at hand...  And not rubles.  Edit:  I didn't really keep mine in my underwear drawer, but I'm not telling where I had it hidden.

[onthedarkside]

A trolling meme post has been removed.

 

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

Don't you think there's quite a bit of difference between the UK and Russia?

 

 

Perhaps his suspicions are aroused by that name Boris!

[atpeace]

The sanctions are justified but I can't bring myself to think poorly of Russians in Thailand.  To topple a tyrant at the expense of hurting ordinary Russians probably would be a good end. 

 

Hard for me to imagine what it would be like to traveling the world and living in various countries and have that come to an end overnight.  Having 2/3 of my cash saving destroyed and knowing life was going to be hard for years to come in Thailand or wherever I rebuilt my life.  Russians seem to be a glutton for punishment and seem to rebound well.  

 

Some feel you can only empathize with one side and that is a problem.  Understanding both sides of an issue and emphasizing would be a pleasant alternative but the last couple years has made this a silly dream.  People get a rush out of hating.

[sawadee1947]

I can't feel sorry for them and I can't show any mercy.

They got what they are voted for.

Ousted and Pariahs of the world.????

[friendofthai]

Russians have difficulties buying an air ticket to go back home. This is due to sanctions.

[TheScience]

This isn't even your country. Go back home and complain all you want about the Russians in YOUR country. Sheesh...

 

As if you have soooo much control over the foreign policy of your birth nation amirite??

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by onthedarkside
trolling comments removed

[onthedarkside]

A misinformation and trolling post has been removed.

 

[Virt]

If the Russians in Thailand want their normal life back,

they might consider to start a revolution within their own borders.

 

The Ukrainians showed how that is done in 2014 in the Maidan revolution.

 

Leaders are only as strong as their followers.

Without followers they are just persons without power.

 

So kick Putin out the door and you might see progress....

[Mavideol]

22 hours ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

if you walked  a mile  in the shoes of those living under the Kremlin's tyrant, you might feel less harsh towards those about whom you speak.     I don't think many call the empowering process for Putin becoming  Russia's leader a democratic one.

 

 

how many people/citizens can vote in Russia, I am sure the number must big way bigger than the current mafia at the Kremlin, thus should be not to complicate to remove them .... I know some will suffer but sometimes the end justify the means that's democracy, many Russians, even some that don't agree with the Kremlin policies,  have been closing their eyes while filling up their pockets and now it's payback time, Russians can not blame anybody else but themselves...... in France we had to cut the (king's) snake's head

[Isaan sailor]

1 hour ago, friendofthai said:

Russians have difficulties buying an air ticket to go back home. This is due to sanctions.

Vlad should send a military transport to pick them up and return them.  After all, he’s one of the wealthiest in Russia, plus he controls the military.

[friendofthai]

57 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

Vlad should send a military transport to pick them up and return them.  After all, he’s one of the wealthiest in Russia, plus he controls the military.

I hope there will be any help from imm offices. For example, 30 days Z-visas would solve many problems.

[Jingthing]

51 minutes ago, friendofthai said:

I hope there will be any help from imm offices. For example, 30 days Z-visas would solve many problems.

Call them Zelinsky visas instead.

[impulse]

9 hours ago, atpeace said:

Some feel you can only empathize with one side and that is a problem.  Understanding both sides of an issue and emphasizing would be a pleasant alternative but the last couple years has made this a silly dream.  People get a rush out of hating.

All good points, but there's a lot more than 2 sides.  There's the gub'ment on each side who want to stay in power, the people on each side whose lives don't really change between one despotic dictator or the other, and there's outside instigators who just smell dollar signs.

 

Not justifying Russia's invasion at all, but I'm amazed how Zelenskyy went from an authoritarian kleptocrat to a hero in record time...  I guess he's a kleptocrat, but he's our kleptocrat.

 

My heart goes out to the Russian people, just as it goes out to Americans suffering huge inflation.  Neither got what they thought they were voting for.

 

To be clear, I'm not equating Russian sanctions with American inflation, just lamenting that you think you're voting for one thing, but that's not what you get...

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by impulse

[mikebike]

9 minutes ago, impulse said:

All good points, but there's a lot more than 2 sides.  There's the gub'ment on each side who want to stay in power, the people on each side whose lives don't really change between one despotic dictator or the other, and there's outside instigators who just smell dollar signs.

 

Not justifying Russia's invasion at all, but I'm amazed how Zelenskyy went from an authoritarian kleptocrat to a hero in record time...  I guess he's a kleptocrat, but he's our kleptocrat.

 

My heart goes out to the Russian people, just as it goes out to Americans suffering huge inflation.  Neither got what they thought they were voting for.

 

Apparently you have yet to master understanding of nuance and degrees...

[mikebike]

On 3/25/2022 at 7:45 PM, sawadee1947 said:

???? The History is, that "Ukraine' exists at least 200 years before "Russia". So there is definetely not any reason to free Ukraine. It's just Putin's History Falsification.????

Hmmm... wondering what you define as "Ukraine" or "Russia" as both regions have human history dating back tens of thousands of years.

[TheScience]

3 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Vlad should send a military transport to pick them up and return them.  After all, he’s one of the wealthiest in Russia, plus he controls the military.

I don't disagree.

[sawadee1947]

39 minutes ago, mikebike said:

Hmmm... wondering what you define as "Ukraine" or "Russia" as both regions have human history dating back tens of thousands of years.

Ukraine as a state founded in 1917. Then forced to be a member of USSR in 1922.

In Middle Ages is was a Kingdom. 

[placeholder]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

All good points, but there's a lot more than 2 sides.  There's the gub'ment on each side who want to stay in power, the people on each side whose lives don't really change between one despotic dictator or the other, and there's outside instigators who just smell dollar signs.

 

Not justifying Russia's invasion at all, but I'm amazed how Zelenskyy went from an authoritarian kleptocrat to a hero in record time...  I guess he's a kleptocrat, but he's our kleptocrat.

 

My heart goes out to the Russian people, just as it goes out to Americans suffering huge inflation.  Neither got what they thought they were voting for.

 

To be clear, I'm not equating Russian sanctions with American inflation, just lamenting that you think you're voting for one thing, but that's not what you get...

 

Zelensky is an authoritarian kleptocrat? Got any evidence for that?

And before the Russian invasion, the Ukranian people were living under a despotic regime? What's the source for your nonsense? RT?

And your likening of the sufferings of the Russian people due to the invasion of Ukraine to the suffering of the American people due to inflation is obviously ridiculous. Inflation is currently a worldwide phenomenon. Are all the nations of the world also invading Ukraine? 

[impulse]

35 minutes ago, TheScience said:

Ukraine is now a pawn in the chess game between the West and Russia.

 

The West is banking Putin has overplayed his hand.

 

The goal now has nothing to do with Ukraine, freedumb or any of your simple bison feces. The goal is to oust Putin. The Ukraine will serve as tinder / fodder. Zelenski will shill for the West and seek refuge later in Israel. The West had long ago sold out Ukraine.

 

Such simple folk...

You refer to "The West" as if it's one entity.

 

Such simple folk...