I'm Russian – ask me a question. Be it about Russia or a personal one.

I somehow missed the health care thing, huh.
I've answered it pertly before though.
It's free, but sometimes outright horrible. I'd say, they won't let you to die most of the times when you'd be dead otherwise... but won't guarantee that you'll thank them for that.
For instance, if I stayed in municipal hospital with my broken leg, I'd be walking on it again in half a year: 3 months in a cast, then 3 months of rehabilitation after that.
Instead I went to another state hospital and was threated there for pay - and walked without cast in a bit more than 2 months - even if it was with a stick at the time.

Though, my relative lately had a full diagnostics in one of central hospitals of Moscow for free. It's very unbalanced at the moment: big hospitals are in quite good shape, while local municipal clinics are on decline.

Thank you for your timely response, More questions now,...

Does your new law making homosexuality a criminal offense(not sure if that's the truth or not) how do you and your community act around them?

Do you have a transgender population at all, or is that entirely the west?(I'm wondering if it's in the water so to speak)?

Do you believe that man has landed on the moon?

Do you know if Nibiru is real or not?

What are the large holes discovered at your northern permafrost,(any ufo evidence)?

i think i could probably speak for most brits and americans in saying that distrust of all forms of government here is endemic now. whether it's corruption at the local level, planning permission for yet another tesco supermarket for example, or whether it's corruption at the state level (all the freakin' wars), it's just everywhere now. we actually have shows on TV here in the UK making a joke of the idea that anyone, ever could tell the truth.

I just read that Putin is offering a small plot of land, say 1 or 2 hectacres to individuals so they may produce food for themselves and raise children. Have you heard this?

Most Americans have no idea that the vice presidents son was taking control of natural gas resources in Ukraine. Did this activity contribute to his brain cancer?

As an American I have come to realize my entire view of Russian life has been shown to me through a prism held by our mis-leaders. As far as national leaders go, I can see why you would be proud of Putin. While our president rides around on bicycles wearing a gay helmet, your president descends to the bottom of the Black Sea in a cool submarine.

If Americans tried to immigrate to your country, would they be welcome? Provided of course they could pay for all their own expenses?

You are welcome!

Does your new law making homosexuality a criminal offense(not sure if that's the truth or not) how do you and your community act around them?
Well, not really. It's more like talking about homosexuality is a public offense. In reality there's no law prohibiting any consensual behavior in Russia as long as it remains what it was - an intimate act. But it's a completely another story when people begin to shout about their preferences on every corner. There's a law "on guarding children from information that may harm their development". Under this law telling children that "it's okay to be gay" is a crime.
Much the same is the public opinion on the matter. I'd say it's closest to the policy that was present in US army before: "Don't ask, don't say" - was the name, I think?
Obviously, the open gay (or lesbian) person can't work in school - because it will be an automatic violation of above mentioned law. But if that person is not vocal about his/her preferences, no one will do a thing to inquire what they are.

Do you have a transgender population at all, or is that entirely the west?(I'm wondering if it's in the water so to speak)?
Well, I have several female acquaintances that identify themselves as males, or that just distinctly use male speech. In the sub-culture of Anime-fans and several adjourning ones there is a increased concentration of such people. Most of them change their minds on the matter sometimes in their mid-20s though.
I believe that in the most cases transgender and other deviations from "normality" are influenced by the society, not by genetics. Can't exclude some inborn cases though.

Do you believe that man has landed on the moon?
Well, maybe? I don't really care. I don't see how it changes anything. For me it's quite clear that if Moon will ever be colonized, all the primary works there would be done using automatic and semi-automatic machines with no people present.
But yeah, the story with the film of US landing is quite shady.

Do you know if Nibiru is real or not?
Don't think so. Okkam's razor forces me to ignore such speculations.

What are the large holes discovered at your northern permafrost,(any ufo evidence)?
Geological phenomena, I think. We know too little about our planet. Especially about distant regions: we really started to monitor them less than a century ago. Decades in most cases.
AFAIK, underground water reservoir was discovered under one of such holes.

I'm a network engineer, any jobs there?

Could you please provide some detail on Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov's parents.

I know his real surname is Kalantarov, and he is Armenian on his father's side (possibly both), and that his father was from Tbilisi.

He is not hiding his Armenian heritage, but I was unable to find the names of his parents.

His mom worked for the government, and it was her who convinced him on the career choice.


And if "he's not part of Putin's inner sanctum", then whose inner sanctum is he a part of?

Thanks.

there's some tax organisation in the UK that attempted to calculate how much tax your average brit is paying, when all the different taxes are accounted for (fuel tax, VAT, income tax, etc etc etc); they concluded it's something like 65 to 70% in total.

and lol, OP, I think you might start a GLP trend of westerners who despise their "leaders" wanting to move to russia.

Yes, I'm dead. It's very complicated. I paid for outstanding healthcare, at a reasonable rate. Now, meh, I'll just die and leave my inheritance

Long story, sad, very sad. I don't need to tell you the story, ask any American.

The best thing? I've made a new friend! I'll fight for my children, my family, and America.

Thank you again for timely and intelligent replies.

A few last questions if I may,

Have you heard or do you think that the west would like to put a pipeline through Syria in an attempt to break gazproms monopoly on natural gas to Europe, and if so, what are the rumors/discussions floating through your society about it. What do you think the reason is for the west's pursuit to remove Assad, and the annexing of Ukraine?

Do you think the "real" Putin was killed and replaced with a double like his ex-wife has said?

You hardly can find any real information on Putin, Shoigu and other people too. Though no one hides their ethnicity: it was never a problem in Russia.

Thanks.

Still, it was rather easy to find such info for Putin, Medvedev or Shoigu, even Stalin:

Putin was born on 7 October 1952, in Leningrad (modern-day Saint Petersburg), Russian SFSR, Soviet Union,[24] to parents Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (1911–1999) and Maria Ivanovna Putina (née Shelomova; 1911–1998).


Dmitry Medvedev was born on 14 September 1965 in Leningrad, in the Soviet Union. His father, Anatoly Afanasyevich Medvedev (November 1926 – 2004), was a chemical engineer teaching at the Leningrad State Institute of Technology.[5][6] Dmitry's mother, Yulia Veniaminovna Medvedeva (née Shaposhnikova, born 21 November 1939),[7] studied languages at Voronezh University and taught Russian at Herzen State Pedagogical University.

Ioseb was born on 18 December 1878[1] in the town of Gori in the Tiflis Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Georgia). His father was Besarion Jughashvili, a cobbler, while his mother was Ketevan Geladze, a housemaid.

Sergei Shoigu was born May 21, 1955 [ 107 ] in the city Chadan Tuva Autonomous Region ( since 1961 - the Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic [ 81 ] ) to a family of nomadic herders [ 96 ] . Father Kuzhuget S. Shoigu , born Shoigu Kuzhuget - generic and personal name changed places at the whim pasportista [ 96 ] , all his life he worked in the Party and Soviet organs and retired the first deputy of the Council of Tuva [ 105 ] .


As for the inner circle question, it is often mentioned that he does not belong, e.g.:

But is he in Putin’s inner circle of advisors?

Stent, who as director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University has met Putin and other Russian players many times, is doubtful.

“According to what people say to me….while he's [Lavrov’s] certainly in full possession of all the facts, he is not the decision maker,” she said. “He is an implementer.”

He called himself a Greek, but in reality he was an Armenian. After knowing him I saw the force of the proverb ‘Trust a snake before a Jew and a Jew before a Greek, but don’t trust an Armenian.’

― George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, Chapter 13

Hi OP, interesting thread! I read your posts on the first Ukraine thread when that all started and was wondering who the person in your previous avatar is.

Well, I was asked to post my photos, so I do:
[link to klou.tt]
They are mostly quite old though. The most recent is 2 years old I think.

I repeat once again - ethical prejudices are not welcome in Russia.
Moreover, all the three mentioned peoples were the core nations of Byzantium. And, among other thing, Russia considers itself a Byzantium's successor. "Two Romes have fallen. The third stands. And there will be no fourth."

Oh, and:
[link to youtu.be (secure)]

They were just as integral in the Ottoman Empire, the same 3 nations.


And ... Following the capture of Constantinople, Mehmed built the Topkapı Palace in 1462 and moved the Ottoman capital there from Adrianople. Mehmed had himself titled "Kaiser-i-Rum", or "Roman Caesar", and modelled the state after the old Byzantine Empire, thinking of himself as the successor to the Roman throne. Later, when he invaded Otranto, his goal was to capture Rome and reunite the Roman Empire for the first time since 751.

About Jews (just look up the Jewish community of Thessaloniki) and Greeks another thread would perhaps be more suitable, but when when it comes to Armenians:

Those elite Armenian families that did achieve great success were individuals such as Abraham Pasha who became Ottoman minister of State. Another Armenian by the name of Kapriel Noradounguian became secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Ottoman Empire. The Dadian family controlled the entire munitions industry in the Ottoman Empire.Calouste Gulbenkian became one of the main advisors of the National Bank of Turkey and the Turkish Petroleum Corporation which later became the Iraqi Oil Corporation. Historian A.Tchamkerten writes"Armenian achievements in the Empire was not only in trade, however. They were involved in almost all economic sectors and held the highest levels of responsibility. In the 19th century, various Armenian families became the Sultan's goldsmiths, Sultan's architects and took over the currency reserves and the reserves of gold and silver, including customs duty. Sixteen of the eighteen most important bankers in the Ottoman Empire were Armenian".


Anyhow, it seems like you don't know. Thanks for your time.

Would Russia stand behind World Peace?


Edit: And would it work? Is Russian people kind and good at the core?

I am sorry to say it, but you are nothing like the ethnic Russians I know.

And I mean this seriously. Something's just off.


Anyhow, good luck with your thread Tamnoten!

Would you like to ask Putin to save us from Death, I dont speak Russian.
JK

Thnx for passing by.

Why are there mooslimbs in Russia?

I'll get into some details because of your green karma note. For starters, I'll tell one story that characterises national policy of Russian Empire. I won't suggest you to believe most of official Western sources about Russia - they are thick with propaganda. There's a book through - "Myths about Russia", written by our current Minister of Culture, which was translated into English. It's pretty good and easy to read.

Empire's predecessor, Tsardom of Moscow (renamed later Tsardom of Russia) was Orthodox state. But it also inherited the policy of the Golden Horde towards other religions and ethnicities. "I don't care what is your faith as long as you are paying your tributes" in short.
Grand Princedom of Moscow liberated itself from the Horde in earlier 15th century.
In the middle of 16th century (1552) Ivan IV Grozniy (called "the Terrible" in Western sources - which is terribly wrong translation of the word) conquered Khanate of Kazan, the state of Muslim Tatars. You can see a lot of biased info on this conquest in Wikipedia for example.
But the best illustration is another fact. Ivan IV died, his son did not rule for long, another two rulers followed... But then began the "Time of Troubles" - a civil war between different nobility clans. At some point of time an army of Polish pretender occupied Moscow.
In 1612, just half a century after Kazan was conquered, its warriors joined Christian militia in battle for Moscow - "to oust the infidels from the Kremlin". "Infidels" in this case were Polish Catholics - for both Orthodox Christians and Muslims, who, as it seems, did not consider each other as such.
Meaning, that just 60 years after "horrible massacre" described in Wikipedia ( [link to en.wikipedia.org] ) during a de facto civil war in the Tsardom of Russia, Tatars of Kazan were more inclined to help defending the state from the invaders, than trying to regain their independence. That alone make me doubt truthfulness of of testimony massacre in Kazan.

And for the policy...
It was pretty simple:
1. All the local nobles were considered to be Empire's nobles. Even if "the nobles" were a third of new territory's population (as it was at some places in Middle East).
2. All the people could keep their faith, their culture. Though, it was way easier for Orthodoxes to become employed as civil servants. But at large all people of conquered lands had rights equal to the rights of other free citizens of Russia.
3. Russian schools were established on all controlled territories. In these schools children of civil servants from capital were studying together with local children. Parents were often paid for them to allow their children studying there.

As a result - the life of local population did not change at large. It was slowly, naturally improving (modern medicines, some other fruits of civilisation) without raping them from their own culture.

And, to finish my rant, I'll add one of my favorite quotes:
"I do not think that any sight could have impressed me more profoundly with the completeness of Russia's conquest than the spectacle of these men, only eight years ago the bitter and determined enemies of Russia on the battlefield, but now wearing her uniform, standing high in her service, and crossing to Europe to salute as their sovereign the Great White Czar." Lord George Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy and Governor-General of India about Merv, Turkmenistan, year 1889.

Hi!
It was me. I seldom place on my avatars anything except for my own photos or pictures. The only exception is Gaftonoshu, "the eight-headed snake" that I use sometimes - because it represents an ideal state as I see it.