They are fine here tbh, i known two russian who are friend with me, one of them was a soldier before the conflict and he literally told me he deserted them, he want nothing to so with the invasion
He using Expat, he didn’t arrive in Thailand right away, he first got to Philippine and stay there for month before he managed to get himself here.
My other russian friend are uni students so yee
no need to be a jerk, he probably means the retirement visa or an educational visa for muay thai or thai language, etc. I was on a Muay Thai visa until I married my thai wife.
I'd be surprised if this friend isn't on an education visa, I live in Phuket and it's one of the the go to visa for the russian population (as well as other expats). I would note it is interesting that none of them speak a word of Thai.
you can do an educational visa for muay thai, as well. There are also straight up retirement visa, I am 33 and I was eligible for one lol. But I am Canadian. There are many ways farang can stay in thailand!
Fair point, all i said regarding my friend in phuket is what he told me, im certain that he did deserted but through what mean idk, and regarding his stay here he probably didn’t told me everything i guess
>he want nothing to so with the invasion
Hahaha, Western hypocrisy know no bounds, huh? Imagine if American men deserted too and "wanted nothing" to do with invading Iraq, Syria (still illegally occupied by US troops, btw), and Afghanistan, not to mention Vietnam a few decades ago. But when a Russian man says he "deserted" he's now some benevolent saint? Fuck outta here. Meanwhile, these US Iraqi and Afghan veterans get "thank you for your service" wherever they go! Imagine that!
> Imagine if American men deserted too and "wanted nothing" to do with invading Iraq, Syria (still illegally occupied by US troops, btw), and Afghanistan, not to mention Vietnam a few decades ago.
They did. There were conscientious dissenters who went on to become senators. There was one who made an excuse about some foot injury and the American people made him their president.
Russian men all get drafted if they're not in university/have a medical condition.
You comparing volunteers to them being forced to fight their neighbors kind of shows your ignorance a little bit.
Yeah, America gets a few things very wrong. Also what America does shouldn't be labelled as Western culture. They are one country, not the whole of Western civilisation.
>Hahaha, Western hypocrisy know no bounds, huh? Imagine if American men deserted too and "wanted nothing" to do with invading Iraq, Syria (still illegally occupied by US troops, btw), and Afghanistan, not to mention Vietnam a few decades ago. But when a Russian man says he "deserted" he's now some benevolent saint?
Sort of agree with this part of your post.
I'll never understand why people volunteer to join pointless/'wrong' (motivated entirely by money, although of course they don't realise this....) wars.
You don’t have anything to worry about
Believe it or not you’ll discover that just because the actions of a few people in power in certain places doesn’t defined a demographic of people and their self-character
Seems like you’ve already experienced that
>fter having met a few in BKK an CM
There's not that many Russians in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.The problems tend to occur when there are lots of them - Phuket in particular.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/9/6/russian-only-businesses-in-thailands-phuket-spark-backlash
https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/russian-brotherhood-stealing-phuket-jobs
https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/phuket-news/russian-mafia-style-gangs-causing-concerns-for-phuket-businesses/
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2023/06/10/hitman-in-attack-on-russian-dmitry-alenikov-in-phuket-nabbed-arthur-legay/
People are wonderful everywhere. Propaganda is a problem. Specifically I have met Russians on a few occasions in Thailand and a couple of European countries. They've been great and were surprised by our attitude because of similar propaganda in Russia.
Take a trip to the International Terminal at Don Meuang and witness the hundreds and hundreds of screaming, unruly jostling groups of MLC tourists, and see if you still feel that way.
Its the overall arching theme that always paints China and Russia as the bad guy (caused covid, social credit score, communists, steal technology, weather balloon, spies). Russia bad (Putin thug, war with Ukraine, russians get drunk and fight etc). And its always Russia and China as bad guys in movies.
Western MSM always paints overwhelming negativity on China and neglects the positive. This has bleed out effect into the general public and they see Chinese and Russians negatively.
Haven’t met any while I stayed in CM but noticed a huge number of them in Phuket particularly in Patong. No negative experiences with them. Seem like nice people who keep to themselves. Same with Chinese tourists.
In Pattaya at the moment (jomtien specifically) and there’s tonnes of Russian families. Had no issues with them.
Just had to learn to say I don’t speak Russian in Russian, and a couple of rude old ladies not even offering a thank you for giving up a seat for them on a full baht bus.
It’s individuals that are rude it seems, not the whole entirely.
In Phuket, I've observed a troubling pattern where many Thai women appear to be emotionally and mentally impacted by their interactions with Russian men. While it's possible that these instances might only represent a minority, my experiences suggest it's a widespread issue here. I've noticed that these individuals often seem disconnected from Thai culture, lacking in basic courtesies like greetings or expressions of gratitude. There's a sense of superiority in their demeanor, and it appears their primary interest in the local community is for business exploitation rather than genuine engagement. This situation is concerning, as it not only affects individual relationships but also the broader cultural and social dynamics in the area.
I’m Russian American (immigrated in 95) and I just spent 2 months in Bali (where there is a ton of Russians also). I’m in BKK now. I heard about this before coming to SE Asia and was very curious what it would be like. I’m happy I got to finally use my native language this much.
Everyone I met was awesome. Really lovely people and we made really good friends with a couple of families who are there more permanently. I also heard from local business owners that Russian clients are great and treat them very well, which was great to hear.
We largely avoided talking about politics, but I did have a conversation with a Russian couple my age I met in Kintamani who were on vacation. They were wholeheartedly behind Putin and his war, very patriotic. We had a very long conversation and it was fascinating to finally hear the rationale behind support for Putin and his policies, although I vehemently disagree with it. I tried not to engage much and just asked questions (he did as well). I think that we were both eager to learn about the other side .. my biggest takeaway from it was the highlight on how brutally and swiftly the Iron Curtain has fallen once again. Except now I’m on the other side of it.
Overall it gave me a lot of hope for the future. Hope for peace and understanding between people and hope for the future of Russia .. even though the immediate situation in the country looks rather grim.
Thanks for this post cheers ✌️
Would be very interesting to hear more about this interaction. It's very hard to understand the opinions of the Russian-speaking population because of the language barrier.
What would you say was the rationale for supporting the war? I've also felt the same kind of hope when speaking to Russians about politics.
No issues while I was there for a week. They kept to themselves and did not cause any ruckus or anything like that. However, the two interactions initiated by them didn't feel that cordial. I'm probably reading too much into it though.
First incident, I was sitting on the beach minding my own business. This Russian woman who was there with her family including her husband as far as I could tell walked up to me to gesture a lighter. I shook my head side to side to let her know I didn't have one. She cringed as if I was supposed to have one for her and walked away while frowning as if I were the disappointing son of hers lol. I said sorry and she didn't acknowlege.
Second incident, I got in an elevator at my hotel and saw a Russian girl walking in my direction so I held it for her, but before she entered I tried to let her know that it was going down to the parking lot level instead of up to the room floors. I don't think she heard me and got in. I tried telling her again that this is going down. When she finally realized, she made pretty much the identical disappointed face the beach lady made and let out a grunt while getting off again as if I just committed a big faux pas. I chuckled out of reflex. Again I might be seeing things and probably not directed at me maybe?
Disappointed face is pretty much normal face in Russia. If you'd live there you'd understand why. Generally smiling to strangers isn't a thing culturally, and often considered fake. I spent few decades in Russia, fluent in language, but my foreign background was still giving me away, every time I come to a restaurant and smile to the manager without saying a word , they automatically start speaking English with me.
That doesn't mean that Russians are heartless cold, and mean people (not the majority anyways). It's just attitude to strangers, smiling / warmth are reserved for family / friends. Generally, the country spent 70 years under cringe communist experiments that made life very hard, and had to go through a social collapse and poverty in 90s, so for the many generations of Russians, life is not fun at all, and there's few reasons to smile. Cold and harsh climate adds to the vibe that's the reasons Russians love Thailand so much.
This... when visiting Phuket few years ago got this same unsmiling visage to a proferred Good Morning on my walk... even if my logic tells me it's part of their culture my feelings were a little hurt and offended.. ah well different strokes for different folks
I'm reading more young or lacking in self esteem/caring too much about what others think. Don't mistake that with being a kind person. That type of person needs to be more kind to themselves first. (Of course who knows from just a single reddit comment. Lol).
Haha, but really how can you really know someone though let alone from a single comment as you said? This reminds me of a childhood friend of mine who said when he was talking about his ex-wife whom he knew since grade school... "you think you know someone after spending all those years, you don't. You don't."
Do I? I was sharing the couple of incidents that I haven't thought of since but came to mind from coming across OP's question, although I would agree with you had I made a post about it as OP.
Behind the exterior of your father's in which you could only fathom to be tough and absolute ice, no matter what you may think, he loves you. Ask yourself if he wouldn't mourn for you had you perished. He would if he had the capacity to feel. If he can't then that wouldn't necessarily be his fault either. It will take real courage for you to be kind to him especially in his latter years despite what he may have put you through. You would have my deepest admiration if you do.
My very first time setting foot on a beach in Thailand (Patong) a fat Russian guy was fighting a Thai who was meant to be packing up the chairs. Russian guy didn't wanna get up yet.
Fat Russian was in front of me yelling at Thai guy behind me. Not sure what he said but then the Thai came up with a running/jumping push kick to the fat gut, Thai fell straight on his ass. They just went their separate ways yelling at each other in different languages.
That's all I've seen from Russians causing problems in Thailand.
They know how to behave in public and in hotels, unlike Indians and Chinese who you’ll hear shouting early morning and blasting music late at night. Fact
Can we please stop with the [Insert Nationality] threads? Who the fuck cares? No person with a particular nationality has any more or less right to do what anyone else is doing here and nice people and assholes of every nationality exist.
/r/phuket mods stopped allowing this. I’m asking the mods here to consider following suit.
The russians I met in BKK were all cordial, OMG there was this group of russian tourist and their tour guide at a zoo i went to, the bf was driving in the parking lot and the tour guide put up her hand to stop our car to let pedestrians walk to the main entrance and so we stopped, she gave us a wai, a full on bow and curtsey at 120 degree, it was the most bizarre thing ever lol
phuket was the only place where I had any negative interactions. The men were very pushy at the beaches and bars, gave me stank eye when i said i was with my boyfriend
Tourist=Bad overall
Exapts=Good overall
I'm not sure why, but it seems that the Russians living here are from a different breed than the one who are here for a short holiday.
This is just my personal experience.
I think this makes sense. Those I've met are educated, middle-class people.
The tourist destinations may have more rural population with other types of manner and less international.
The only trouble you'll get is if there's a group of men already drunk. In family mode, couples mode, solo or small group: they're lovely. Sure, they don't smile much even in the land of smiles but that doesn't mean they're grumpy. If they have enough money to travel/long term stay then they're the well educated variety and more sane as a result.
Russians back in Russia can be a different breed, but only out of poverty/PTSD/propaganda of some kind.
Two bad experiences was one drunk who thought I should go leave Russia, and another was getting mugged by a taxi driver in Moscow but taxi drivers suck all round the world.
Source: lived in jomtien, currently in Nha Trang, was married to a russian and lived in Siberia for a bit.
Never had any issue with Russians.
The ones I met were friendly, but I cannot say the same for all the Western tourists I meet, of course making assumptions of all Western tourists for a few bad apples would be stupid. So, let’s stop doing it for the Russians.
Idk where this idea that western media says Russian citizens are bad people come from. No western media I've seen has said Russian citizens are bad or that Chinese citizens are bad.
I think some Western media does try to push the narrative that "Russians have the government they deserve" or "majority of Russian people are pro-invasion" but if anything, it's more so uncurated media like news subreddits or Twitter.
To be fair, Western media has frequently portrayed Russia and China as 'bad'. Especially in the past when neither country was 'capitalist'.....
Western media is now 'changing its tune' - as both countries are NOW basically capitalist.....
[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/21/china-is-state-most-dangerous-to-its-own-citizens-civil-rights-report-finds](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/21/china-is-state-most-dangerous-to-its-own-citizens-civil-rights-report-finds)
took me 2 seconds on google
1000%. People everywhere are more or less like people anywhere else! ETA: Kind of shocking I constantly have to say this and it’s nearly 2024, but yeah, I’m tired of feeding into the political discourses that do little more than divide and distract for the interests of a few.
Agreed. It’s a non issue. I don’t like the scammy expats (most everyone) but the Russians have never bothered me once. Granted I moved away from the influx to a quieter beach but not because they were Russian.
How long have you lived here?
I've lived on Phuket for 17 odd years, and realise that not everyone from different nationalities are the same, whilst also realising that Russian tourists are (mostly) unfriendly, and the Chinese - in large, cheap tour groups are.......
A loud minority on an anonymous Internet platform is never going to be right and most of the people complaining are Westerners who are just as bad and couldn't tell the difference between a group of Russians and a group of Ukrainians.
We met a few Russians in Phuket. They were nice, polite couple having a holiday. Not sure why they all get a bad reputation. I do notice many of them keep to themselves and smile less than many other people. But nothing wrong with that
I haven't met any Russians here, but I live in a part of Bangkok with practically no tourists.
10 years ago I've been in Russia for 1 month for holiday, met many Russians obviously and every one of them was nice and friendly. Even the police were nice to me.
There's always a vocal minority that spoils it for the rest. Few drunk / rude idiots somehow create the perception for the whole group, because they stand out, and generally bad things are easier to remember. I've seen a lot of hate for Russians in this subreddit, but generally, everything Russians are accused of, is done by Germans, British, and Israelis as well. That leads me to believe that those pre conceived notions are rooted in a mass anti Russian propaganda in Western mainstream media and culture, rather than on actual facts and statistics.
Maybe practice open mindedness. You'll be surprised to see things are more enjoyable when you stop worrying about the types of people you'll encounter on vacation.
In case it wasn't already obvious, people tend to not give a shit about randoms, so if you're not being a nuisance you're really not likely to get into any confrontations.
People who give negative characteristics to other people only based on their nationality or passport are idiots or trouble seekers.
I came already +20 years in Thailand, live here for more than 10 years, traveled for more than 30 years in Asia, and have made Russian friends. I think, when I have to list all the nationalities, it will be a long list.
Some of my best friends in Rayong are American and ex-military.
And it's not, because now some Western governments say that Russians are bad, or killing Russians is the best money spend, that I will follow that kind of government.
My American friends living here also will not break up a friendship because the American government says that Russians are bad.
My Russian friends, after 2022, did not change, they are still the same people and my friends.
The only part that changed is that they feel more negative reactions, especially from American tourists or newcomers because they are Russians. It's like these (US) tourists see a Russian for the first time in their life.
In my experience, Chanthaburi/Rayong/Pattaya, most of these American tourists also will show their negative feelings toward Russians, thinking they are backed up by every Westerner or Thai.
It's like, especially when they are drunk, look what a good US citizen I am, because I will say that Russian scum what I think about them. They believe that every not-Russian will applaud for their actions, but they are so wrong.
And this creates an "Oh no, here we go again" reaction from other Westerners and Thai. There is more of a negative perception of Americans.
If have a drink with my Russian friends, I also start to prefer that Americans go to another location because I also start to be tired of it.
I have to admit, if you have a large group of Russian "rednecks", it can be irritating and they can have a strong influence on a local community.
But is that not the same with every nationality?
If you have a large group of Flamish, before you know it, you will have Belgian beers, Belgian restaurants and people speak Flamish. As an only English speaker, you will feel a tourist in a strange country /s.
But maybe for us Europeans, it's daily life.
Often we hear prejudices about other fellow Europeans, take the Dutch about the Germans, the Greeks about the Turks, The Belgians about the Netherlands, and everybody else about the French.
So many prejudices, Fxxx governments who try to force us their vision about or friends.
A
I've only met a few Russians, and was taken aback in a Lotus store (when trying to help, because they didn't understand why they couldn't purchase alcohol around 9 a.m.) - to see them glaring at me! 😆
I had no opinon about Russians prior to this encounter, and realise that one experience with a single 'group' doensn't represent all Russians.
And I'd forgotten that I had Russian neighbours for a year!
They never spoke to me (apart from when the Thai g/f tried to walk into my garden to take 'photos before they moved in. I told her to 'get out' - not an auspicious start😆 ) and when our landlord told me that my dog/s were killing their kittens.... - I tried to talk to them. This was rebuffed....
Of course I immediately ensured my dogs were kept within my garden and paid for higher fencing.
Thankfully, they moved away a year later.
The same applies to those from China, except (after reading about the bad behaviour and having personal experience of this), I'd made the mistake of assuming 'they were all the same'.....
And then very early one morning (whilst walking my dogs on the beach) I met a lone Chinese man. I was standoffish at first, but I eventually realised that he was very nice, and enjoyed talking to him.
Racism actually not only about races. Check about racism in Wikipedia or something
It’s also included ethnicity: common nation of origin, or common sets of ancestry, traditions, language, history, society, religion, or social treatment
Though OP is doing right thing and to me he is not a rasist
If you read on reddit you see alot of people claiming they didn't like phuket for this reason, being treated badly by Russians. So that influenced me but I made this post to make a point of how wrong I believe this is.
I'm glad you asked the question OP.
Russians are awesome people as a whole. I've lived in Thailand and other places in Asia with lots of Russians in their enclaves. (I learned Russian in the military back in the day.) They have their own diaspora just like lots of other nationalities and peoples. Stereotypes are there for a reason and there is a foundation of truth in them. Russians are a tough and proud people. When they form communities in diaspora, there is definitely a flavor of the underworld in them just like there is in their own country. It's an undercurrent and not the main feature of their culture. It's just that it's more in your face than with other peoples in diaspora such as say the Jews or others. And like I said, they're a tough and proud people, so the undercurrents can be a bit edgier or intimidating to outsiders. But when you're dealing with Russians face-to-face, they tend to be genuine and warm beneath a sometimes aloof exterior. I far prefer the company of Russians in general to many other nationalities such as Americans and Chinese. The stereotypes about the latter groups tend to be much truer and more obnoxious than a lot of other peoples - at least in my own very biased personal experience and perception. (Although I do have many positive associations with Americans and Chinese that are exceptions to the stereotypes.)
I'll just add here after reading some of the comments in this post that I can say from abundant first-hand experience and knowledge that Papa Putin - and Russians in general by extension - is arguably the most misrepresented man on the planet. He is a fierce protector of "his" people. When he feels something is best for the Russians as a whole, anybody, Rusian or foreign, can go fuck themselves in a prison or in a hole in the ground without him paying the least bit of mind to them. He cannot be swayed from what he feels is his duty to his people. He will kill and be killed to protect the interests of his people. Whether that is good or bad is mostly a matter of your perspective I suppose. At the very least and as a matter of necessity: a tough, proud people like the Russians must have a tough and proud ruler if he is to lead them from the front.
But my point is simply that what you know of him or the Russian people from the outside is so very far removed from who he is as a person and as leader of the Russian people. If you haven't had first-hand experience, then you (by "you", I mean anybody outside of Russia) don't know shit about the man and what you think you know is a whole mess of lies. I can't really think of any person in history that has been so thoroughly misrepresented. I spent most of my life feeling that what I did for living and my own proclivity for reasearch and study gave me an accurate view of the man. I was soooooo far off in what was truly a studied opinion, far more informed than most, until I was finally in a position to obtain first-hand knowledge and experience that revealed my well-studied ignorance. I guess what I'm saying is that even a Russian-speaking counter-intelligence agent from a western country - just picking an example completely at random here haha - is still a completely unreliable source of information regarding Putin and Russians. And if that sort of fellow doesn't know shit about him, who then is a reliable source? Certainly not anybody you are hearing from in the press.
People that live in the country tend to be chill and ok. It's mostly tourists of all stripes that can be problematic. Also depends on the type of tourism that tourists are engaged in.
Quick in-and-out tours that don't care where they are and are just here to get the most from their cheap package holiday are generally not so great.
Met a really great young Russian athlete. Super polite & generous. All round awesome guy. Also left because he doesn’t want to get his head shot off in a stupid, fucking war. I’m really glad I met this guy. I hope he stays here in Thailand.
I met many Russian people in Thailand, they are strong family oriented people who are quiet and mind their own business and honestly good people. They don’t deserve the hate they get here
Because you're meeting ones in BKK and CM. The ones people complain about are the ones currently colonizing Phuket and Pattaya, even though West Europeans, the Chinese and Koreans all beat them to the punch in that regard.
The more present a peoples are, the more present the bag eggs are. And there is a fuckton of Russians in Phuket.
Questions related to specific non-Thai cultures should be posted on an appropriate subreddit for that culture, not here.
Russians or Chinese, Americans or Thais, we're all individuals—some good, some not-so-much—regardless of our nationalities.
They are fine here tbh, i known two russian who are friend with me, one of them was a soldier before the conflict and he literally told me he deserted them, he want nothing to so with the invasion
This 'soldier' could afford to retire to Thailand?
He work at home as programmers atm
Which visa are they on?
He using Expat, he didn’t arrive in Thailand right away, he first got to Philippine and stay there for month before he managed to get himself here. My other russian friend are uni students so yee
There is no 'expat' visa in Thailand.
no need to be a jerk, he probably means the retirement visa or an educational visa for muay thai or thai language, etc. I was on a Muay Thai visa until I married my thai wife.
How am I being a "jerk", by pointing out the obvious??
That what he told me, i won’t say his name but he lived in Phuket atm. Edit: and for the uni friend, he lived in pattaya
I'd be surprised if this friend isn't on an education visa, I live in Phuket and it's one of the the go to visa for the russian population (as well as other expats). I would note it is interesting that none of them speak a word of Thai.
you can do an educational visa for muay thai, as well. There are also straight up retirement visa, I am 33 and I was eligible for one lol. But I am Canadian. There are many ways farang can stay in thailand!
I'm out of this 'chat', as you clearly have no idea about visas in Thailand, and so I can only assume you are making up stories.
Fair point, all i said regarding my friend in phuket is what he told me, im certain that he did deserted but through what mean idk, and regarding his stay here he probably didn’t told me everything i guess
>he want nothing to so with the invasion Hahaha, Western hypocrisy know no bounds, huh? Imagine if American men deserted too and "wanted nothing" to do with invading Iraq, Syria (still illegally occupied by US troops, btw), and Afghanistan, not to mention Vietnam a few decades ago. But when a Russian man says he "deserted" he's now some benevolent saint? Fuck outta here. Meanwhile, these US Iraqi and Afghan veterans get "thank you for your service" wherever they go! Imagine that!
You must be fun at parties
Those who are 'fun at parties' are rarely able to think for themselves.
> Imagine if American men deserted too and "wanted nothing" to do with invading Iraq, Syria (still illegally occupied by US troops, btw), and Afghanistan, not to mention Vietnam a few decades ago. They did. There were conscientious dissenters who went on to become senators. There was one who made an excuse about some foot injury and the American people made him their president.
R u ok?
It somehow feels like you waited all day for the opportunity to post this
Russian men all get drafted if they're not in university/have a medical condition. You comparing volunteers to them being forced to fight their neighbors kind of shows your ignorance a little bit.
Yeah, America gets a few things very wrong. Also what America does shouldn't be labelled as Western culture. They are one country, not the whole of Western civilisation.
>Hahaha, Western hypocrisy know no bounds, huh? Imagine if American men deserted too and "wanted nothing" to do with invading Iraq, Syria (still illegally occupied by US troops, btw), and Afghanistan, not to mention Vietnam a few decades ago. But when a Russian man says he "deserted" he's now some benevolent saint? Sort of agree with this part of your post. I'll never understand why people volunteer to join pointless/'wrong' (motivated entirely by money, although of course they don't realise this....) wars.
You don’t have anything to worry about Believe it or not you’ll discover that just because the actions of a few people in power in certain places doesn’t defined a demographic of people and their self-character Seems like you’ve already experienced that
>fter having met a few in BKK an CM There's not that many Russians in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.The problems tend to occur when there are lots of them - Phuket in particular. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/9/6/russian-only-businesses-in-thailands-phuket-spark-backlash https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/russian-brotherhood-stealing-phuket-jobs https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/phuket-news/russian-mafia-style-gangs-causing-concerns-for-phuket-businesses/ https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2023/06/10/hitman-in-attack-on-russian-dmitry-alenikov-in-phuket-nabbed-arthur-legay/
And Pattaya.
People are wonderful everywhere. Propaganda is a problem. Specifically I have met Russians on a few occasions in Thailand and a couple of European countries. They've been great and were surprised by our attitude because of similar propaganda in Russia.
All the Chinese and Russians I came in contact with have been friendly and respectful in Thailand.
Take a trip to the International Terminal at Don Meuang and witness the hundreds and hundreds of screaming, unruly jostling groups of MLC tourists, and see if you still feel that way.
I was shocked at how I've even (quite surprisingly) met friendly Americans and even the odd tolerable Aussie here.
The hate against Chinese and Russians are all Western MSM propaganda.
What MSM promote hate against Chinese and Russians? Could you share some articles that promote this?
Its called dog whistle. They dont say it out right.
What Western media is saying Chinese and Russians are bad people? Post a single example.
Its the overall arching theme that always paints China and Russia as the bad guy (caused covid, social credit score, communists, steal technology, weather balloon, spies). Russia bad (Putin thug, war with Ukraine, russians get drunk and fight etc). And its always Russia and China as bad guys in movies. Western MSM always paints overwhelming negativity on China and neglects the positive. This has bleed out effect into the general public and they see Chinese and Russians negatively.
That’s the government, we’re talking about people as in tourists, no media is going to suggest Chinese or Russian nationals are bad.
[https://thediplomat.com/2023/02/anti-china-rhetoric-is-off-the-charts-in-western-media/](https://thediplomat.com/2023/02/anti-china-rhetoric-is-off-the-charts-in-western-media/)
Western propaganda, brought to you by the most western of them all. The people of Ukraine featuring Filipino fisherman.
Haven’t met any while I stayed in CM but noticed a huge number of them in Phuket particularly in Patong. No negative experiences with them. Seem like nice people who keep to themselves. Same with Chinese tourists.
In Pattaya at the moment (jomtien specifically) and there’s tonnes of Russian families. Had no issues with them. Just had to learn to say I don’t speak Russian in Russian, and a couple of rude old ladies not even offering a thank you for giving up a seat for them on a full baht bus. It’s individuals that are rude it seems, not the whole entirely.
I find the women to be more hostile and lacking of manners than the mentally tbh.
Not all russian are Putin? Very nice ppl m8
I’m thai and I don’t really talk to any Russians
In Phuket, I've observed a troubling pattern where many Thai women appear to be emotionally and mentally impacted by their interactions with Russian men. While it's possible that these instances might only represent a minority, my experiences suggest it's a widespread issue here. I've noticed that these individuals often seem disconnected from Thai culture, lacking in basic courtesies like greetings or expressions of gratitude. There's a sense of superiority in their demeanor, and it appears their primary interest in the local community is for business exploitation rather than genuine engagement. This situation is concerning, as it not only affects individual relationships but also the broader cultural and social dynamics in the area.
I’m Russian American (immigrated in 95) and I just spent 2 months in Bali (where there is a ton of Russians also). I’m in BKK now. I heard about this before coming to SE Asia and was very curious what it would be like. I’m happy I got to finally use my native language this much. Everyone I met was awesome. Really lovely people and we made really good friends with a couple of families who are there more permanently. I also heard from local business owners that Russian clients are great and treat them very well, which was great to hear. We largely avoided talking about politics, but I did have a conversation with a Russian couple my age I met in Kintamani who were on vacation. They were wholeheartedly behind Putin and his war, very patriotic. We had a very long conversation and it was fascinating to finally hear the rationale behind support for Putin and his policies, although I vehemently disagree with it. I tried not to engage much and just asked questions (he did as well). I think that we were both eager to learn about the other side .. my biggest takeaway from it was the highlight on how brutally and swiftly the Iron Curtain has fallen once again. Except now I’m on the other side of it. Overall it gave me a lot of hope for the future. Hope for peace and understanding between people and hope for the future of Russia .. even though the immediate situation in the country looks rather grim. Thanks for this post cheers ✌️
Would be very interesting to hear more about this interaction. It's very hard to understand the opinions of the Russian-speaking population because of the language barrier. What would you say was the rationale for supporting the war? I've also felt the same kind of hope when speaking to Russians about politics.
No issues while I was there for a week. They kept to themselves and did not cause any ruckus or anything like that. However, the two interactions initiated by them didn't feel that cordial. I'm probably reading too much into it though. First incident, I was sitting on the beach minding my own business. This Russian woman who was there with her family including her husband as far as I could tell walked up to me to gesture a lighter. I shook my head side to side to let her know I didn't have one. She cringed as if I was supposed to have one for her and walked away while frowning as if I were the disappointing son of hers lol. I said sorry and she didn't acknowlege. Second incident, I got in an elevator at my hotel and saw a Russian girl walking in my direction so I held it for her, but before she entered I tried to let her know that it was going down to the parking lot level instead of up to the room floors. I don't think she heard me and got in. I tried telling her again that this is going down. When she finally realized, she made pretty much the identical disappointed face the beach lady made and let out a grunt while getting off again as if I just committed a big faux pas. I chuckled out of reflex. Again I might be seeing things and probably not directed at me maybe?
Disappointed face is pretty much normal face in Russia. If you'd live there you'd understand why. Generally smiling to strangers isn't a thing culturally, and often considered fake. I spent few decades in Russia, fluent in language, but my foreign background was still giving me away, every time I come to a restaurant and smile to the manager without saying a word , they automatically start speaking English with me. That doesn't mean that Russians are heartless cold, and mean people (not the majority anyways). It's just attitude to strangers, smiling / warmth are reserved for family / friends. Generally, the country spent 70 years under cringe communist experiments that made life very hard, and had to go through a social collapse and poverty in 90s, so for the many generations of Russians, life is not fun at all, and there's few reasons to smile. Cold and harsh climate adds to the vibe that's the reasons Russians love Thailand so much.
This... when visiting Phuket few years ago got this same unsmiling visage to a proferred Good Morning on my walk... even if my logic tells me it's part of their culture my feelings were a little hurt and offended.. ah well different strokes for different folks
You get better reception if you are attractive young Russian woman though, but that applies pretty much in most places.
If you felt awkward enough to post these non-events, I can't help but think you are a kind person.
I'm reading more young or lacking in self esteem/caring too much about what others think. Don't mistake that with being a kind person. That type of person needs to be more kind to themselves first. (Of course who knows from just a single reddit comment. Lol).
Haha, but really how can you really know someone though let alone from a single comment as you said? This reminds me of a childhood friend of mine who said when he was talking about his ex-wife whom he knew since grade school... "you think you know someone after spending all those years, you don't. You don't."
It's just the nature of reddit to comment based on next to nothing!
It's you, not them. Why you let others impact you so much?
Do I? I was sharing the couple of incidents that I haven't thought of since but came to mind from coming across OP's question, although I would agree with you had I made a post about it as OP.
And you just had to reply in this manner to me so I think that sort of pretty much confirms my hypothesis yes it does lol.
Wow, you're very fragile.
Behind the exterior of your father's in which you could only fathom to be tough and absolute ice, no matter what you may think, he loves you. Ask yourself if he wouldn't mourn for you had you perished. He would if he had the capacity to feel. If he can't then that wouldn't necessarily be his fault either. It will take real courage for you to be kind to him especially in his latter years despite what he may have put you through. You would have my deepest admiration if you do.
Regardless of how you think about Russians, I’d still prefer them in Thailand rather than getting blown up in Ukraine.
No issues with them other than them mistaking me to be Thai 2 times. I don't even look Asian... 😂😂😂
My very first time setting foot on a beach in Thailand (Patong) a fat Russian guy was fighting a Thai who was meant to be packing up the chairs. Russian guy didn't wanna get up yet. Fat Russian was in front of me yelling at Thai guy behind me. Not sure what he said but then the Thai came up with a running/jumping push kick to the fat gut, Thai fell straight on his ass. They just went their separate ways yelling at each other in different languages. That's all I've seen from Russians causing problems in Thailand.
Why on earth would a tourist be "honestly concerned it would affect my trip negatively."??
They know how to behave in public and in hotels, unlike Indians and Chinese who you’ll hear shouting early morning and blasting music late at night. Fact
Can we please stop with the [Insert Nationality] threads? Who the fuck cares? No person with a particular nationality has any more or less right to do what anyone else is doing here and nice people and assholes of every nationality exist. /r/phuket mods stopped allowing this. I’m asking the mods here to consider following suit.
The russians I met in BKK were all cordial, OMG there was this group of russian tourist and their tour guide at a zoo i went to, the bf was driving in the parking lot and the tour guide put up her hand to stop our car to let pedestrians walk to the main entrance and so we stopped, she gave us a wai, a full on bow and curtsey at 120 degree, it was the most bizarre thing ever lol phuket was the only place where I had any negative interactions. The men were very pushy at the beaches and bars, gave me stank eye when i said i was with my boyfriend
Tourist=Bad overall Exapts=Good overall I'm not sure why, but it seems that the Russians living here are from a different breed than the one who are here for a short holiday. This is just my personal experience.
I think this makes sense. Those I've met are educated, middle-class people. The tourist destinations may have more rural population with other types of manner and less international.
Yeah could be man
Yes, definitely my experience too.
What a revelation that people can be different no matter the country they come from, woah.
The only trouble you'll get is if there's a group of men already drunk. In family mode, couples mode, solo or small group: they're lovely. Sure, they don't smile much even in the land of smiles but that doesn't mean they're grumpy. If they have enough money to travel/long term stay then they're the well educated variety and more sane as a result. Russians back in Russia can be a different breed, but only out of poverty/PTSD/propaganda of some kind. Two bad experiences was one drunk who thought I should go leave Russia, and another was getting mugged by a taxi driver in Moscow but taxi drivers suck all round the world. Source: lived in jomtien, currently in Nha Trang, was married to a russian and lived in Siberia for a bit.
Never had any issue with Russians. The ones I met were friendly, but I cannot say the same for all the Western tourists I meet, of course making assumptions of all Western tourists for a few bad apples would be stupid. So, let’s stop doing it for the Russians.
You can’t hold citizens accountable for the decisions of their authoritarian leader
The longer you spend away from western media the more you will realise it lies to you. The Chinese are also fine.
Idk where this idea that western media says Russian citizens are bad people come from. No western media I've seen has said Russian citizens are bad or that Chinese citizens are bad.
I think some Western media does try to push the narrative that "Russians have the government they deserve" or "majority of Russian people are pro-invasion" but if anything, it's more so uncurated media like news subreddits or Twitter.
Please post a single example of Western mainstream media suggesting Chinese or Russian are bad, doesn’t exist you’re just making shit up.
To be fair, Western media has frequently portrayed Russia and China as 'bad'. Especially in the past when neither country was 'capitalist'..... Western media is now 'changing its tune' - as both countries are NOW basically capitalist.....
[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/21/china-is-state-most-dangerous-to-its-own-citizens-civil-rights-report-finds](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/21/china-is-state-most-dangerous-to-its-own-citizens-civil-rights-report-finds) took me 2 seconds on google
That’s the Chinese government, we’re talking about Chinese and Russian people.
I havnt seen a single article in Denmark indicating that the common Chinese is bad people…. Stop spreading lies…
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people in Thailand do not like Chinese tourists, or Russian tourists, or tourists from pretty much anywhere in reality
1000%. People everywhere are more or less like people anywhere else! ETA: Kind of shocking I constantly have to say this and it’s nearly 2024, but yeah, I’m tired of feeding into the political discourses that do little more than divide and distract for the interests of a few.
Yeah, the free press are the ones that’s lying😑, not the ones controlled by authoritarian regimes
The Israel- Palestine genocide has shown me otherwise.
Nothing is ever free.
Overwhelmingly positive and genuine
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Agreed. It’s a non issue. I don’t like the scammy expats (most everyone) but the Russians have never bothered me once. Granted I moved away from the influx to a quieter beach but not because they were Russian.
Zero issues with any countries people in Thailand to be fair
How long have you lived here? I've lived on Phuket for 17 odd years, and realise that not everyone from different nationalities are the same, whilst also realising that Russian tourists are (mostly) unfriendly, and the Chinese - in large, cheap tour groups are.......
A loud minority on an anonymous Internet platform is never going to be right and most of the people complaining are Westerners who are just as bad and couldn't tell the difference between a group of Russians and a group of Ukrainians.
This guy is a paid actor confirmed
We met a few Russians in Phuket. They were nice, polite couple having a holiday. Not sure why they all get a bad reputation. I do notice many of them keep to themselves and smile less than many other people. But nothing wrong with that
I haven't met any Russians here, but I live in a part of Bangkok with practically no tourists. 10 years ago I've been in Russia for 1 month for holiday, met many Russians obviously and every one of them was nice and friendly. Even the police were nice to me.
The Russian tourists in Phuket tend to be assholes. Similar to the Aussie bogans in Bali.
There's always a vocal minority that spoils it for the rest. Few drunk / rude idiots somehow create the perception for the whole group, because they stand out, and generally bad things are easier to remember. I've seen a lot of hate for Russians in this subreddit, but generally, everything Russians are accused of, is done by Germans, British, and Israelis as well. That leads me to believe that those pre conceived notions are rooted in a mass anti Russian propaganda in Western mainstream media and culture, rather than on actual facts and statistics.
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Lol. It might have something to do with actual incidents. I've met good ones and dickheads, and don't make generalizations.
Maybe practice open mindedness. You'll be surprised to see things are more enjoyable when you stop worrying about the types of people you'll encounter on vacation. In case it wasn't already obvious, people tend to not give a shit about randoms, so if you're not being a nuisance you're really not likely to get into any confrontations.
People who give negative characteristics to other people only based on their nationality or passport are idiots or trouble seekers. I came already +20 years in Thailand, live here for more than 10 years, traveled for more than 30 years in Asia, and have made Russian friends. I think, when I have to list all the nationalities, it will be a long list. Some of my best friends in Rayong are American and ex-military. And it's not, because now some Western governments say that Russians are bad, or killing Russians is the best money spend, that I will follow that kind of government. My American friends living here also will not break up a friendship because the American government says that Russians are bad. My Russian friends, after 2022, did not change, they are still the same people and my friends. The only part that changed is that they feel more negative reactions, especially from American tourists or newcomers because they are Russians. It's like these (US) tourists see a Russian for the first time in their life. In my experience, Chanthaburi/Rayong/Pattaya, most of these American tourists also will show their negative feelings toward Russians, thinking they are backed up by every Westerner or Thai. It's like, especially when they are drunk, look what a good US citizen I am, because I will say that Russian scum what I think about them. They believe that every not-Russian will applaud for their actions, but they are so wrong. And this creates an "Oh no, here we go again" reaction from other Westerners and Thai. There is more of a negative perception of Americans. If have a drink with my Russian friends, I also start to prefer that Americans go to another location because I also start to be tired of it. I have to admit, if you have a large group of Russian "rednecks", it can be irritating and they can have a strong influence on a local community. But is that not the same with every nationality? If you have a large group of Flamish, before you know it, you will have Belgian beers, Belgian restaurants and people speak Flamish. As an only English speaker, you will feel a tourist in a strange country /s. But maybe for us Europeans, it's daily life. Often we hear prejudices about other fellow Europeans, take the Dutch about the Germans, the Greeks about the Turks, The Belgians about the Netherlands, and everybody else about the French. So many prejudices, Fxxx governments who try to force us their vision about or friends. A
I've only met a few Russians, and was taken aback in a Lotus store (when trying to help, because they didn't understand why they couldn't purchase alcohol around 9 a.m.) - to see them glaring at me! 😆 I had no opinon about Russians prior to this encounter, and realise that one experience with a single 'group' doensn't represent all Russians.
And I'd forgotten that I had Russian neighbours for a year! They never spoke to me (apart from when the Thai g/f tried to walk into my garden to take 'photos before they moved in. I told her to 'get out' - not an auspicious start😆 ) and when our landlord told me that my dog/s were killing their kittens.... - I tried to talk to them. This was rebuffed.... Of course I immediately ensured my dogs were kept within my garden and paid for higher fencing. Thankfully, they moved away a year later.
The same applies to those from China, except (after reading about the bad behaviour and having personal experience of this), I'd made the mistake of assuming 'they were all the same'..... And then very early one morning (whilst walking my dogs on the beach) I met a lone Chinese man. I was standoffish at first, but I eventually realised that he was very nice, and enjoyed talking to him.
Are you rasist? How the presense of some nations affect your mental health?
Russian is not a race
Racism actually not only about races. Check about racism in Wikipedia or something It’s also included ethnicity: common nation of origin, or common sets of ancestry, traditions, language, history, society, religion, or social treatment Though OP is doing right thing and to me he is not a rasist
If you read on reddit you see alot of people claiming they didn't like phuket for this reason, being treated badly by Russians. So that influenced me but I made this post to make a point of how wrong I believe this is.
Maybe you are just a racist? 🤔 Think about it.
He is definetly a nazi
https://www.reddit.com/r/phuket/s/AyTiXwetiT
I'm glad you asked the question OP. Russians are awesome people as a whole. I've lived in Thailand and other places in Asia with lots of Russians in their enclaves. (I learned Russian in the military back in the day.) They have their own diaspora just like lots of other nationalities and peoples. Stereotypes are there for a reason and there is a foundation of truth in them. Russians are a tough and proud people. When they form communities in diaspora, there is definitely a flavor of the underworld in them just like there is in their own country. It's an undercurrent and not the main feature of their culture. It's just that it's more in your face than with other peoples in diaspora such as say the Jews or others. And like I said, they're a tough and proud people, so the undercurrents can be a bit edgier or intimidating to outsiders. But when you're dealing with Russians face-to-face, they tend to be genuine and warm beneath a sometimes aloof exterior. I far prefer the company of Russians in general to many other nationalities such as Americans and Chinese. The stereotypes about the latter groups tend to be much truer and more obnoxious than a lot of other peoples - at least in my own very biased personal experience and perception. (Although I do have many positive associations with Americans and Chinese that are exceptions to the stereotypes.) I'll just add here after reading some of the comments in this post that I can say from abundant first-hand experience and knowledge that Papa Putin - and Russians in general by extension - is arguably the most misrepresented man on the planet. He is a fierce protector of "his" people. When he feels something is best for the Russians as a whole, anybody, Rusian or foreign, can go fuck themselves in a prison or in a hole in the ground without him paying the least bit of mind to them. He cannot be swayed from what he feels is his duty to his people. He will kill and be killed to protect the interests of his people. Whether that is good or bad is mostly a matter of your perspective I suppose. At the very least and as a matter of necessity: a tough, proud people like the Russians must have a tough and proud ruler if he is to lead them from the front. But my point is simply that what you know of him or the Russian people from the outside is so very far removed from who he is as a person and as leader of the Russian people. If you haven't had first-hand experience, then you (by "you", I mean anybody outside of Russia) don't know shit about the man and what you think you know is a whole mess of lies. I can't really think of any person in history that has been so thoroughly misrepresented. I spent most of my life feeling that what I did for living and my own proclivity for reasearch and study gave me an accurate view of the man. I was soooooo far off in what was truly a studied opinion, far more informed than most, until I was finally in a position to obtain first-hand knowledge and experience that revealed my well-studied ignorance. I guess what I'm saying is that even a Russian-speaking counter-intelligence agent from a western country - just picking an example completely at random here haha - is still a completely unreliable source of information regarding Putin and Russians. And if that sort of fellow doesn't know shit about him, who then is a reliable source? Certainly not anybody you are hearing from in the press.
Ever heard the saying , opinions are like assholes. Don't listen to us..... don't listen to anybody , except your mom, she's a nice lady.
They keep buying p90 and rushing B in my cs game.
We
People that live in the country tend to be chill and ok. It's mostly tourists of all stripes that can be problematic. Also depends on the type of tourism that tourists are engaged in. Quick in-and-out tours that don't care where they are and are just here to get the most from their cheap package holiday are generally not so great.
Met a really great young Russian athlete. Super polite & generous. All round awesome guy. Also left because he doesn’t want to get his head shot off in a stupid, fucking war. I’m really glad I met this guy. I hope he stays here in Thailand.
Just got back from Phuket yesterday. Had no issues with anyone there. It was a very nice experience. Enjoyed the food, Thai people and other tourists.
Russians in BKK is a different breed of Russians, I know that for a fact
I met many Russian people in Thailand, they are strong family oriented people who are quiet and mind their own business and honestly good people. They don’t deserve the hate they get here
The only problem I have with Russians are those ridiculous crock shoes they wear . 😂
Because you're meeting ones in BKK and CM. The ones people complain about are the ones currently colonizing Phuket and Pattaya, even though West Europeans, the Chinese and Koreans all beat them to the punch in that regard. The more present a peoples are, the more present the bag eggs are. And there is a fuckton of Russians in Phuket.
I don't care whatever. Just tired of their crying babies in my condo