Russian Elites Are Transforming Thailand’s Biggest Island as They Become More Unwelcome in the West

[zzzzz]

18 hours ago, Rickster said:

You can tell Russians a mile off...head like a fridge, belly hanging out the bottom of their 2 size too small food stained t shirt and a 6' stunning blond hanging off their arm ????

disagree
most are young fit and have tats and have yet to see a 6' russian lady   

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Harsh Jones said:

Russia has a tech industry that nobody knows about and a flat 13% personal income tax. It isn't just this corruption narrative that we hear in the west. 

 

 Yandex is the Russian Google. It is the 5th biggest search engine in the world. It is the biggest tech start-up in all of Europe by market cap. Kaspersky was the biggest anti virus in Europe. Telegram is a top 10 social media app in the world. There's plenty of Russian crypto bros too

quote "Russia has a tech industry that nobody knows about".

 

If Russia has a tech industry that nobody knows about, how do YOU know about it, when according to you, nobody knows about it?

[p414]

On 7/28/2023 at 3:16 AM, bob smith said:

yet another reason to never set foot in that god forsaken place again!

Exactly....'Another'...

 

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, zzzzz said:

disagree
most are young fit and have tats and have yet to see a 6' russian lady   

I think we need to make a distinction here between the Russians that are here for an extended period of time and the traditional tourists.

The former are often younger, sometimes 1-2 young kids and are working.

The latter tend to be rude and big, men and women.

[Jingthing]

29 minutes ago, billd766 said:

quote "Russia has a tech industry that nobody knows about".

 

If Russia has a tech industry that nobody knows about, how do YOU know about it, when according to you, nobody knows about it?

I know about it as you will find many Russian expats working in Silicon Valley USA. They have the talent pool but the industry there itself isn't all that much as far as percentage of their GDP. 

[KannikaP]

On 7/28/2023 at 9:14 AM, ChipButty said:

They have money and loads of it

What's the Rouble/THB exchange rate today please?

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

What's the Rouble/THB exchange rate today please?

The trend is not their friend.

The Russian economy is in the toilet.

After the war, Russia won't be the same country.

 

1 RUB to THB - Russian Rubles to Thai Baht Exchange Rate (xe.com)

Edited July 30, 2023 by Jingthing

[peter zwart]

On 7/28/2023 at 1:28 PM, brianthainess said:

This report is by TAT so I guess by their passports. 

Russians are a lot ruder than Ukrainians IME, will push past you to grab something from a supermarket shelf, etc.

And here we go again. Just stigmatizing away. Can't we just acknowledge that in every nationality, there are sometimes less kind and social people? I've certainly encountered them from various nationalities, at least.

[LivingNThailand]

On 7/28/2023 at 9:13 AM, ChipButty said:

I suspect the Russians have something to do with the new project just coming up out of the ground in Rawai they flattened half the property along the beach front, looks like a huge project for Rawai, 

yes.  Russian  https://phuket9.com/news/post/rawayana-beachfront-village

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

I know about it as you will find many Russian expats working in Silicon Valley USA. They have the talent pool but the industry there itself isn't all that much as far as percentage of their GDP. 

If as you say that you know about it, then you are contradicting yourself when you say that nobody knows about it

 

Either nobody knows about it, or many other people as well as you know about it, in which case it isn't a secret.

[Jingthing]

5 minutes ago, billd766 said:

If as you say that you know about it, then you are contradicting yourself when you say that nobody knows about it

 

Either nobody knows about it, or many other people as well as you know about it, in which case it isn't a secret.

You replied to the wrong person.

I never said I don't know about it. 

[GroveHillWanderer]

14 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah it's very easy to identify the Russian language but it is spoken by a number of other nationalities including many Ukrainians.

While most Ukrainians can speak Russian, I'm pretty sure that nowadays they tend to eschew it, for obvious reasons.

Edited July 30, 2023 by GroveHillWanderer

[Jingthing]

Just now, GroveHillWanderer said:

While most Ukrainians can speak Russian, I'm pretty sure that nowadays they tend to eschew it.

That's true if they can but I suppose many are still more comfortable speaking Russian. 

I don't have much an ear for Ukrainian except that it does sound quite different from Russian. 

[billd766]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

You replied to the wrong person.

I never said I don't know about it. 

[baipaibkk]

is perfect.  Western tourists will now avoid the island.  good luck with the elite

[stevenl]

40 minutes ago, baipaibkk said:

is perfect.  Western tourists will now avoid the island.  good luck with the elite

Nonsense.

[Harsh Jones]

12 hours ago, billd766 said:

quote "Russia has a tech industry that nobody knows about".

 

If Russia has a tech industry that nobody knows about, how do YOU know about it, when according to you, nobody knows about it?

Really. Is that all you have to say ? I educated myself on what Russia really is and not what CNN , BBC or Fox claims it is, through investing. 

[Harsh Jones]

12 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I know about it as you will find many Russian expats working in Silicon Valley USA. They have the talent pool but the industry there itself isn't all that much as far as percentage of their GDP. 

https://www.ewdn.com/2019/03/12/russian-founded-global-web-server-leader-acquired-by-us-company-for-670-million/

 

Nginx is one of the most successful Russian Internet technologies of the past twenty years. Its solution is currently used by more than 374 million websites across the world, including two thirds of the highest‑traffic sites. “Whether you know it or not, you use Nginx every day of your life when you post a photo, watch streaming video, purchase goods online, or log into your applications at work,” the company justly claims.

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, Harsh Jones said:

https://www.ewdn.com/2019/03/12/russian-founded-global-web-server-leader-acquired-by-us-company-for-670-million/

 

Nginx is one of the most successful Russian Internet technologies of the past twenty years. Its solution is currently used by more than 374 million websites across the world, including two thirds of the highest‑traffic sites. “Whether you know it or not, you use Nginx every day of your life when you post a photo, watch streaming video, purchase goods online, or log into your applications at work,” the company justly claims.

That's nice.

In any case, the Russian economy (now crippled by the war) is heavily dominated by oil and gas, followed by mining. Tech comprises only a small percentage of Russian GDP.

 

As you posted, Nginx was acquired by an American company in 2019. I don't know the current situation as far as the impact on Russian Nginx workers under western sanctions.

Edited July 30, 2023 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, Harsh Jones said:

Really. Is that all you have to say ? I educated myself on what Russia really is and not what CNN , BBC or Fox claims it is, through investing. 

You educated yourself. What is Russia, really?

[JensenZ]

On 7/28/2023 at 9:00 AM, phetphet said:

What makes them all so elite?

Having the cash to buy property freehold is good start.

[JensenZ]

On 7/28/2023 at 9:14 AM, Hamus Yaigh said:

The true face of Thailand. An utter disgrace.

Putin is not arriving in Phuket to buy property. It's the Russians that want to get away from his grasp who are coming here. The ones who have had enough and can afford to leave. There's nothing disgraceful about it.

[JensenZ]

On 7/28/2023 at 1:10 PM, zzzzz said:

think ur way off

gf works at a pre school, ( 2-6) here in kamala.  over 70% of the kids are from Russia>Pre coivd it was around 20%
I have spoken to a few of the parent's and every one disagrees with the war, many are working online, ALL DONT want to fight in the war>  these are guys in their upper 20's, early 30's
They are renting long term, many have ed visas and are not on 60 day tourist visas!!

The Russians i see on kamala beach ( how do i know they are Russian well, they speak Russian) most seem fairly young with young kids

The Ed visa is quite an investment too. Price started at about 51k up to over 70k, for the visa, visa extensions and classes (In Pattaya)... for only a year. Not sure about Phuket prices, but with the influx they are probably paying quite high. It's a good business to be in right now.

[JensenZ]

On 7/28/2023 at 2:34 PM, fredbe said:

Because a lot of them doesn't speak english

No problem! Russians can learn English on an Ed Visa. All the schools offer English classes for Ed Visas. Some are offered online, so very convenient.

[Mark1066]

On 7/28/2023 at 9:14 AM, Hamus Yaigh said:

The true face of Thailand. An utter disgrace.

Like the true face of the United Kingdom? Knowingly letting Russians launder money in the City of London for decades. Not even the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 did anything to dampen their enthusiasm for dirty Russian money. The Americans are no better: they've been happy to let Russians pour money into real estate for years. And you have the temerity to call Thailand an 'utter disgrace'? The hypocrisy of developed Western nations is, in my experience, only exceeded by that of their deluded expatriate citizens in South East Asia.

Edited July 30, 2023 by Mark1066

[JensenZ]

On 7/28/2023 at 3:13 PM, John Drake said:

If they're all so elite and everything, why don't they go for the Thailand Elite Visa, especially since they're so rich?

And who said they weren't? The young ones will use Ed Visas. Did you know that Russians can stay on 30-day visa-exempt stamps and do unlimited border runs? Russia and Thailand have special visa arrangements, so they probably have visa options you've never heard of.

Edited July 30, 2023 by JensenZ

[Jingthing]

New mobilization coming. This could mean a new big wave of fleeing Russians to all the places they go which includes Thailand. That is if Russia doesn't close their borders.

 

 

[save the frogs]

6 hours ago, JensenZ said:

The Ed visa is quite an investment too. Price started at about 51k up to over 70k, for the visa, visa extensions and classes (In Pattaya)... for only a year. Not sure about Phuket prices, but with the influx they are probably paying quite high. It's a good business to be in right now.

I contacted a school in Phuket inquiring about an ED Visa and I got a reply from a Russian person. Not sure if they were just working there or if they took over the joint. 

 

[ChipButty]

14 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

I contacted a school in Phuket inquiring about an ED Visa and I got a reply from a Russian person. Not sure if they were just working there or if they took over the joint. 

 

There is a language school in Rawai I suspect it's Russian 

[NextG]

8 hours ago, Harsh Jones said:

https://www.ewdn.com/2019/03/12/russian-founded-global-web-server-leader-acquired-by-us-company-for-670-million/

 

Nginx is one of the most successful Russian Internet technologies of the past twenty years. Its solution is currently used by more than 374 million websites across the world, including two thirds of the highest‑traffic sites. “Whether you know it or not, you use Nginx every day of your life when you post a photo, watch streaming video, purchase goods online, or log into your applications at work,” the company justly claims.

US based….