Do Russians mix with westerners?

[asiamaster]

Most of the Russian women I've seen in Pattaya are super hot

But as far as the Russians interacting with others, they appear aloof and uninterested in conversing with anyone outside their immediate group.

I don't mind the Russian women but the guys should stay at home...

[elgenon]

My personal experience is that they tend to have a superiority complex. The 2 Russian couples in my minibus to Koh Chang didn't associate with anyone else and wanted their bags loaded first.

Did meet 2 very nice Russian women on Koh Lan but their BFs were jerks. e.g. How much is your hotel room? Some very hot GFs though. I can at least look!

I think there is a bit of money laundering going on. Same here at the beach in the US.

Have seen some obnoxious Russian drunks in Pattaya. I would like to meet some of the nicer ones.

[julemanden]

In my condo the only thing I see them mix is whisky and coke.

You meant to say Vodka, didn't you?

[harrycallahan]

I think many are package tourists in a similar guise to Chinese, but with less herding around. I reckon that doesn't help the situation as they kind of follow the script - which doesn't include mixing with non-Russians. If you hang around the Mixx area of Pattaya you can strike up conversations.

[Andre0720]

Russians do try to mix..

Just like the couple I saw at the market last week...

Kept speaking quickly in russian to a thai boy about 13 years old who was selling clothing.

These russians seem to keep insisting that the young boy should understand russian language,,

Well, they had their way of mixing...

[AYJAYDEE]

Russians do try to mix..

Just like the couple I saw at the market last week...

Kept speaking quickly in russian to a thai boy about 13 years old who was selling clothing.

These russians seem to keep insisting that the young boy should understand russian language,,

Well, they had their way of mixing...

russians are far from the only tourists that do that.

[eddie61]

 

I have two Nephew's that married Russian women back in the states, They have integrated well in to life in the US, but also keep their Russian language, culture and food. Much socialization with many other Russian women that live in the same cities also married to U.S. men.

Young, great looking women that seem to welcome and enjoy the US way of life.

I never have interacted with Russian's in Thailand!

Cheers:.

 

I interacted with a russian girl once: I was knackered in the morning

[sunshine51]

I know some "Russians" quite well & have known them since they were fighting

in Afghanistan. Russia is a HUGE country and I reckon the OP should be more

specific as to who qualifies as a Russian. I mean there's the Ukraine (home of

very beautiful women who tend to live a very long time!), There's the Kazaks,

the Western Russians (aka Moscow types), Asian Russians, Siberian Russians

etc..etc...etc. And although today they are all called "Russians" their cultures

differ greatly. As for the question asked though...I will give this answer...yeah

they "mix with "westerners"....perhaps the mix will take some time to happen &

the westerner may have to start it in motion...but the "Russians" ...for the most

part are decent people.

[AYJAYDEE]

I know some "Russians" quite well & have known them since they were fighting

in Afghanistan. Russia is a HUGE country and I reckon the OP should be more

specific as to who qualifies as a Russian. I mean there's the Ukraine (home of

very beautiful women who tend to live a very long time!), There's the Kazaks,

the Western Russians (aka Moscow types), Asian Russians, Siberian Russians

etc..etc...etc. And although today they are all called "Russians" their cultures

differ greatly. As for the question asked though...I will give this answer...yeah

they "mix with "westerners"....perhaps the mix will take some time to happen &

the westerner may have to start it in motion...but the "Russians" ...for the most

part are decent people.

since when are ukrainians called russians?

[laurentbkk]

well to answer that topic you need to go back in history ..... for 71 years , Russians were not permitted to leave Russia , the cold war didnt arrange anything either. You have to understand that English language was not the primary language you could learn at school , compare with other European countries.I have been 23 times in Russia , from Moscow to Vladivostok .. you cannot compare people from one side on the same level of the other side , Russia is West and East and of course middle .... the mentality are different from St petersburg and Moscow or Yekaterinburg.As different as people from NYC or LA or Manchester or London. They discovered traveling only in the 90's. Charter flights arrive from Siberia or Vladivostok directly to Pattaya, of course cheap flights and cheap hotels , many westerners back packers do exactly the same, see in kao san road... So of course as they dont speak English they cannot mix with other nationality but it works also for french who are not better than Russian in English conversation.

There is no one to blame , they are only shy about their lack in talking other language. Take the metro in Moscow , all station name are in Russian ... imagine the BTS or metro in Bangkok with only Thai wording. I noticed on thaivisa the daily Russian bashing and this is so stupid .... no one is better than another one here , we are all farang in Thailand ... I always been welcome any part of Russia and Russian are very nice people when you get to know them as I do.

[laurentbkk]

Russians do try to mix..

Just like the couple I saw at the market last week...

Kept speaking quickly in russian to a thai boy about 13 years old who was selling clothing.

These russians seem to keep insisting that the young boy should understand russian language,,

Well, they had their way of mixing...

so , you saw a Russian couple and you need to put them all in the same basket ? well after 20 years in Thailand , I have seen tourists from all around the world doing exactly the same , talking to Thais in their own languages , french , spanish , yankees , brits ( who feel so superior than the rest) ....

[laurentbkk]

My personal experience is that they tend to have a superiority complex. The 2 Russian couples in my minibus to Koh Chang didn't associate with anyone else and wanted their bags loaded first.

Did meet 2 very nice Russian women on Koh Lan but their BFs were jerks. e.g. How much is your hotel room? Some very hot GFs though. I can at least look!

I think there is a bit of money laundering going on. Same here at the beach in the US.

Have seen some obnoxious Russian drunks in Pattaya. I would like to meet some of the nicer ones.

do you want the list of all Americans , brits or aussies totally drunk I have seen the last 20 years ? in Bangkok , phuket or pattaya ?

[smileydude]

If there is any reason they don't mingle with other westerners it would probably be the language barrier as someone earlier mentioned.

I have met nice friendly Russians and well as loud obnoxious and overbearing ones just as often as other nationalities.

One very large and muscular specimen even helped himself and his 2 female friends onto my beachfront property in Pattaya uninvited.

Of course I amicably reminded him this was private property and he removed himself promptly though only to camp out in front of my house.

Some russian women even decide to go nudie on my porch front swing while taking photos.

I guess there are pro's and cons in everything in life.

[Battybird]

I think the major problem is language, we have a lot in Samui at the moment and our compound has three houses of Russians, none speak to each other, not sure what that's about, and none speak any English at all. They are very polite and pleasant and say Hi, but even the younger ones don't seem to speak English either unless they have been bought up outside or Russia. To be honest they seem to be better behaved and more polite than a lot of the English!

[manarak]

I do not doubt your experiences or opinions. I wasn't there so I accept your view that Russians are very open. However, you were not present when I attempted (unsuccessfully) to interact with Russians, so perhaps you will be open minded enough to accept another point of view

My personal experience is that Russians in Pattaya are unfriendly and do not socialize well.

Point well taken. These kinds of things are going to be subjective as I doubt anyone is going to do a controlled scientific study on this question.

Only few Russians speak English, especially the older ones, so they usually keep to themselves.

So it's pretty much useless to try striking conversation with captain's hat wearing russian beer bellies and their overweight wives with mullet hairstyles.

Younger Russians however sometimes do speak a bit of English, especially if coming from larger cities in the western part of Russia. They are usually friendly and open for contact and "mixing" with other people if possible. The main problem remains the language.

And in defense of the Russians, yes, they are rude by many standards and even irritating, BUT: they are usually very good-hearted, generous and courageous, not afraid to step in for a friend or for an acquaintance of just 5 minutes if they see injustice.

[colomboserb]

Most of the ussians comming to Asia now are from "Asia regions" close to Afganistan ..And see themself as asians first not western. Even do some looks "white european", Some looks more like white mixed with chinese/mongoloids . I meet many russians from Uzbekistan , Dagerstan, Kazakstan,Kyrkiztan.

Edited November 22, 2013 by colomboserb

[srn89]

Personally i have no wish to mix with any Russians, in Chiang Mai i have found them not to Honest and VERY AGGRESSIVE, my experience came as a result of purchasing a T.V. which stopped working after 2 days, what a load of hastle i had with them, they even smashed the lock on my gate and threatened me with a clenched fist.

So for me i will give any of them a wide berth in the future and certainly will never purchase anything from them.

[Morakot]

In high season, over half of the tourists in town are Russian.

How you getting on with the Russian lessons?

[laurentbkk]

Personally i have no wish to mix with any Russians, in Chiang Mai i have found them not to Honest and VERY AGGRESSIVE, my experience came as a result of purchasing a T.V. which stopped working after 2 days, what a load of hastle i had with them, they even smashed the lock on my gate and threatened me with a clenched fist.

So for me i will give any of them a wide berth in the future and certainly will never purchase anything from them.

so because you had issues with Russian you have no wish to mix with them ? with nearly 200 millions Russian , I dont think its right to generalized , like any nationalities, there are good and bad people .... I have met some many bad and agressive americans but still like to go to the US...

[hanno]

In high season, over half of the tourists in town are Russian.

How you getting on with the Russian lessons?

In all fairness there does seem to be a tendency of nationalities sticking together. The French are not exactly known for mixing, the Brits all tend to hang out in the same Pub, the Krauts are busy defending their pool chairs, I do not recall many Indians trying to mix, nobody understands the Aussies, the Canadians are too polite to mix,.......

[namdocmai]

I have met them many times in the Thai hotels/resorts. They walk next to eachother and will never give way for anybody else. They take all the beachbeds at 6 am and start drinking there right after breakfast, yelling, rude behaviour, being very wild and drunk at 1pm before they go take a nap. At the breakfast buffet a fat russian bloke grabbed the whole pile of plates while my arm allready was reached out to take a plate. He waited for his group of friends who came a few minutes later and gave them all a plate. They piled them plates up, ate only half of it and went for a new pile. Leftovers disappeared in their bags for lunch.

They barely speak english, don't care at all for other tourists, are agressive and only drink/eat all day.

I know there are other nationality's which also can be rude but the russians are the worst for me.

Just my own experience and opinion. From now on i only want to go in a hotel where there are no russians.

[TinoThailand]

I understand your point: "no"

[hellodolly]

The Russians I know refuse to be around fellow Russians. They love to practice their English with the rest of "us".

Some of the ones I know are highly educated, super rich and not drunks. Not saying that is the norm, but I do believe it is an exception rather than the rule. 8-)

And yes, the ones I know all come from Southern Siberia.

Kinda wondering here if you are talking about residents here in Thailand or tourists?

[utkb]

In my experience, I do not believe Russians like to mix

1) Russians tend to be very xenophobic. Probably from centuries of isolation and invasion. When I was in Moscow (I am german heritage, and have a similar appearance to most Russian's) I did not have a welcome feeling at any time. I've been to Saudi, Nigeria, UAE, England, Thailand, Central America, and a few other places; but Moscow stands out as being my least welcome and most unsafe (from robbery standpoint) that I've experienced.

2) I've read travel reports that list the least welcome places for tourists are #1 Russia, and #2 France (completely in line with my past experience)

3) I've witnessed a group Thai working girls fighting with Russian working girls in bkk -- those groups definitely do not mix

4) Friends who have worked in Russia alongside Russians in the same office, report going years without their coworkers mixing with them (probably more due to the salary difference)

So in general, I'd say they like to keep to themselves.

[laurentbkk]

The Russians I know refuse to be around fellow Russians. They love to practice their English with the rest of "us".

Some of the ones I know are highly educated, super rich and not drunks. Not saying that is the norm, but I do believe it is an exception rather than the rule. 8-)

And yes, the ones I know all come from Southern Siberia.

Kinda wondering here if you are talking about residents here in Thailand or tourists?

well apparently "quality" tourists described by many here ....

[briandanes]

Where im from we have lot of russians (30% of population) but they are very different from russians that are here in Thailand. For some reason russians here are very conservative and keep to themselves.

[laurentbkk]

In my experience, I do not believe Russians like to mix

1) Russians tend to be very xenophobic. Probably from centuries of isolation and invasion. When I was in Moscow (I am german heritage, and have a similar appearance to most Russian's) I did not have a welcome feeling at any time. I've been to Saudi, Nigeria, UAE, England, Thailand, Central America, and a few other places; but Moscow stands out as being my least welcome and most unsafe (from robbery standpoint) that I've experienced.

2) I've read travel reports that list the least welcome places for tourists are #1 Russia, and #2 France (completely in line with my past experience)

3) I've witnessed a group Thai working girls fighting with Russian working girls in bkk -- those groups definitely do not mix

4) Friends who have worked in Russia alongside Russians in the same office, report going years without their coworkers mixing with them (probably more due to the salary difference)

So in general, I'd say they like to keep to themselves.

hummm apparently we havent been in the same Russia ... and for the least welcome place , Moscow is not for tourist at all ..France still No 1 in the world for tourism beside No 2 in your list. Nigeria and Saudi ? never really felt welcome there .... Have you been to St Petersburg from June to September ? you know some time being arrogant doesn't help to be welcome in some places ..

[dao16]

Russians have a unique way of relating to each other and other people. I went there for a few months a few years ago and it took me a while to get used to the standard Russian "poker face." I am so used to people greeting you and smiling at a shop or at the bank or whatever, but many Russians are stone-faced when they go about their work. They aren't angry--they are just working. Obviously, many did smile, too, but it isn't the smile fest like Thailand is or the "hey, and how are you today" of the US. I would imagine that would explain a lot of it.

However, I met lots of very nice people there all the way from Siberia to Moscow. The main difficulty was language, as I only just got by with the basics in Russian. But people wanted to talk to me when they could or when we had a translator or found some third language we could both speak. So, language barrier should explain the rest of it.

[Bagwan]

Russians are Westerners by their culture.

By region they are everything from Westerners to far east.

This wasn't meant to be a debate on what westerner means

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

So please name it: Do Westerners mix with Westerners....

The Russian Federation stretches across 9 time zones. reaching from Poland to the island of Sakhalin. The Soya Strait separates Sakhalin from Hokkaido, a province of Japan. Care to review your post?

I was under the impression that most of the 'Russians' here in LOS were from the former southern republics that once formed part of the USSR. I doubt the the Uzbecks, Azerbajanis, Tajiks and particularly Ukrainians, would be too happy being called Russians, same as the splendid Jocks, Taffs and Paddies being lumped together and designated to be English rather than Brits. .

In my few interactions with 'Russians' I have found them to be uncouth, ill mannered and coarse just as I do the drunks and other low life forms from First World countries who have avoided acquiring any form of civilisation, courtesy and gentility. I am sure that there are more than a few educated and sophisticated "Russians' who view their compatriots with distaste. On the other hand Pattaya can hardly be considered a Buck House garden party.

[Jingthing]

I have observed more obvious homophobia among the Russians than other groups in Pattaya, even much more so than Muslims from the Middle East or Indians, which might surprise many. The main reason I say this is watching how they react on baht buses when there are either Thai ladyboys or older white man / younger Thai man couples. Sometimes it is overt, pointing and laughing at them directly, more so to the ladyboys. Sometimes it is hostile looks and STARING more so to the gay male intergenerational couples. I have not noticed any visible hostility towards gay men together who are the same race and age but I'm not sure they even register as gay to these observers.

So far I have not heard of any bashing incidents when the homophobic Russians "mix" with visible sexual minorities, but I wouldn't be surprised if I did.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Jingthing