How are the Russians paying for it all?

[Jenkins9039]

Great to see restaurants, bars etc abuzz with life....

Great to see properties being snapped up for rent and sale...

 

But it's all Russian's... Phuket... 

 

How are they paying for it all with Swift, Visa, Mastercard etc gone... How are they getting the money into the country to this degree?

 

 

[Photoguy21]

Especially when you consider that the vast majority of Russians are struggling to pay their bills in Russia.

[Olmate]

Not so great if your condo lease is due for renewal.Rents and deposits up an away in Pattaya. ????

[asf6]

Perhaps they are using the Russian Mir card in Thailand. 

[gearbox]

Russia had record trade surplus last year, so some of that money probably went to the pockets of the citizens.

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-current-account-surplus-almost-doubled-2022-central-bank-2023-01-17/

[Jenkins9039]

10 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Especially when you consider that the vast majority of Russians are struggling to pay their bills in Russia.

3 properties on my soi have been bought by russian's so far this month, and we are not talking chump change.

[Jenkins9039]

4 minutes ago, asf6 said:

Russian Mir card

Where does one get one for when they are de-banked for not adhering to western wokeness.

[Photoguy21]

1 minute ago, Jenkins9039 said:

3 properties on my soi have been bought by russian's so far this month, and we are not talking chump change.

Exactly. The ones that arrive here are loaded with cash and as nice as many Russians are, I did work in Russia, the Joe average does not have the money to visit Thailand.

Edited March 19, 2023 by Photoguy21

[Oink]

The MIR card is issued by the Central Bank of Russia. Some people get their salaries paid directly onto the card.

There are many more alternatives in the world to the American based Mastercard and Visa.

[fdsa]

Mir is not accepted in Thailand, Unionpay is.

[BananaStrong]

[ezzra]

Russians are very, very resourceful people i suspect that many of them if not all, bring cash with

them or have access to a foreign payment arrangement. 

[Celsius]

You sell one property in Moscow and you can fund your stay in Thailand until the rest of your life.

 

I always have a laff when the average drunk sexpat tells me how "back home" the price of real estate is sky high because of those pesky foreigners.

 

No clue.

[transam]

9 minutes ago, Celsius said:

You sell one property in Moscow and you can fund your stay in Thailand until the rest of your life.

 

I always have a laff when the average drunk sexpat tells me how "back home" the price of real estate is sky high because of those pesky foreigners.

 

No clue.

I can't say I mix with drunk sexpats, so I wouldn't know...... 

[ChipButty]

I suspect they got their money out long before the invasion, I know of one Russian about to pay 22 million for a property, Then I saw this morning that 40% of condo's in Phuket are owned by Russians how true that is I dont know,

[sammieuk1]

Guess we will all find out when it runs out and those vinyl boards and pointing sticks sales sky rockets until then its all mysterious ????

[scubascuba3]

Sounds like they are abandoning Russia and trying to get money out. Housing market back home must be diving

[Social Media]

It seems Thailand isnt the ONLY place Russians are headed........

 

 

 

[Denim]

2 hours ago, Olmate said:

Not so great if your condo lease is due for renewal. Rents and deposits up an away in Pattaya. ????

All the more reason to move out to somewhere else.......or learn to speak Russian and get yourself a Babushka.

[Olmate]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

Russians are very, very resourceful people i suspect that many of them if not all, bring cash with

them or have access to a foreign payment arrangement. 

Not the case in 7.11 tonite, couple tried 2 c/cardsdeclined to buy 2 beers, reluctantly handed over cash. 

[steven100]

Thailand said they are refugees ...  so that must mean that they can only stay in the condo or hotel for a few months.  How can we help these poor Russian refugees    ? 

[transam]

Just now, steven100 said:

Thailand said they are refugees ...  so that must mean that they can only stay in the condo or hotel for a few months.  How can we help these poor Russian refugees    ? 

More like, "How can we help these poor Russian deserters".......

[Jingthing]

Crypto according to Sanctioned Ivan youtube. He's now in Turkiye but headed to Pattaya. He's a flippin legend.

[steven100]

6 minutes ago, transam said:

More like, "How can we help these poor Russian deserters".......

yes ... I was being a bit facetious ...   haha    they are draft dodgers, deserters, murders or mafia .....  that's about it

[NanLaew]

3 minutes ago, steven100 said:

yes ... I was being a bit facetious ...   haha    they are draft dodgers, deserters, murders or mafia .....  that's about it

They are mostly good people who have been royally f*cked over by their President.

 

There's a large caravan of broke Brits eking out an existence in Thailand due to their being f*cked over by their Prime Minister.

 

Same same but different.

[Jenkins9039]

4 hours ago, Celsius said:

You sell one property in Moscow and you can fund your stay in Thailand until the rest of your life.

 

I always have a laff when the average drunk sexpat tells me how "back home" the price of real estate is sky high because of those pesky foreigners.

 

No clue.

Had a Russian work for my family business in the 90's - he bought two properties in red square before he was ejected for working illegally in the UK.

[Jenkins9039]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

They are mostly good people who have been royally f*cked over by their President.

 

There's a large caravan of broke Brits eking out an existence in Thailand due to their being f*cked over by their Prime Minister.

 

Same same but different.

Brits can be described as 1 pound poms (they are all broke), there is still some wealth in Northern Europeans (50+) below that they are <deleted> also.

 

Russian's are ok (middle/upper class) it's the gangs you need to worry about.

[Olmate]

8 hours ago, Jenkins9039 said:

Brits can be described as 1 pound poms (they are all broke), there is still some wealth in Northern Europeans (50+) below that they are <deleted> also.

 

Russian's are ok (middle/upper class) it's the gangs you need to worry about.

'10 pound poms' as that was what they paid for passage and setlement in Straylia. That was following the invasion of course! 

[KhaoYai]

14 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I suspect they got their money out long before the invasion, I know of one Russian about to pay 22 million for a property, Then I saw this morning that 40% of condo's in Phuket are owned by Russians how true that is I dont know,

Long before.  Remember the Soviet Union? Everything belonged to the state...didn't it?  When the USSR collapsed all the state run enterprises were carved up and 'sold' off - hence the amount of oligarchs.

 

From Oxford Languages:

 

oligarch

/ˈɒlɪɡɑːk/

 

 

noun

noun: oligarch; plural noun: oligarchs

1. 1.

   a ruler in an oligarchy.

    
2. 2.

   a very rich business leader with a great deal of political influence (particularly with reference to individuals who benefited from the privatization of state-run industries after the collapse of the Soviet Union).

   "it seems more than a coincidence that former employees, advisors, and allies of the billionaire oligarch have been parachuted into such positions"  ????

 

Clearly most of the Russians in Thailand are not up to Oligarch level but the same methods of attainment applied + a lot of corruption and other highly dodgy business since then.

 

These people are not stupid, they knew their cash was never safe in Russia - they'll have had it out of there years ago. Foreign accounts/Offshore accounts/........now probably Thai accounts.

 

There's always a way - if you can pay.

Edited March 19, 2023 by KhaoYai

[Danderman123]

15 hours ago, Denim said:

All the more reason to move out to somewhere else.......or learn to speak Russian and get yourself a Babushka.

I can speak Russian.

 

There are very few single Russian ladies in Pattaya, for very obvious reasons.

 

At any rate, I don't talk to Russians now.