[doombolt]

I'm not planning to leave Russia just yet, due to being a Russian nationalist with a family, but I can sure answer any questions. The trend (or rather, reversal of previous trend) surely exists.

Upd: HN, the place where you get downvotes by agreeing to answer some questions. That's why I stopped coming.

[michaelscott]

From your insider's perspective, what's the probable cause/s for this happening? I'm guessing it's because there are better opportunities for a person's career in nearby Europe? And if there is stagnation in job development, is it because of the government's running of the country or are there other factors at play?

[doombolt]

The atmosphere is totally unhealthy, wages stagnate or fall for most of workers, and there is no optimism for the future.

In some areas Russia still becomes a better place to live, but if you compare it to Europe proper it still lacks in so many ways and the gap is not closing anytime soon, if not getting wider.

And the only news which come is about new restrictions on public life and political free speech.

As my colleague said to me 5 years back, "all of my canaries are now dead"

[csdvrx]

> As my colleague said to me 5 years back, "all of my canaries are now dead"

Your colleague should not keep his canaries in a mine in Siberia!

Joke aside, thanks for your comment, sorry for the downvotes, and good luck to you

[skilled]

This might be unrelated (slightly), but how is Russia coping with things like LGBT?

And how has the 'work life' changed in the last 20 years? Basically, since the Internet became a thing. Can you tell a distinct difference?

[doombolt]

I don't really know any LGBT in person so it's hard to say. I think nobody will bother you if you stay clandestine. I guess the public opinion in this area is shitty but it is universal quality of public opinion in Russia.

I was on internet before my first job so ot is hard to say. It's a mixed bag. There are jobs which are bureaucratic hell (especially in large Soviet-survivor companies outside large cities), there are jobs which pay peanuts and productivity is non-existent (government sector), but then there's modern economy with nice offices, passable atmosphere and fine work-life balance. If you're not in IT and not splurging on natural resources wealth somehow, the pay is low.

[saiya-jin]

As for LGBT - once the society is truly free, tons of people come forward with it. You would be surprised how many around you would fall into this category. I could witness this trend in 3 different countries as it unfolded.

Another thing is, since this 'freedom' for LGBT is relatively very new, most of them experienced very troubled childhood/puberty. It must have been very hard to fit in, not disappoint parents etc. yet feeling so out of place compared to rest of the crowd. Russia as a nation would benefit greatly from such an openness in long term, but I can't see it happening anytime soon.

Been there once (Elbrus), generally common folks are really nice, but this soviet mindset of fuck-it-all-lets-drink-some-vodka (and other like that) are bane of a modern free Russian society. One of examples how just having a lot of smart people isn't enough if there is enough negative things to counter-balance it. World moved to greener pastures, but Russia still seems like stuck in 1991.

[iaml]

On the first part, they don't. It's pretty common to hate on any kind of lgbt even amongst more educated slices of population like it people.

[EugeneOZ]

It is a real risk for your life to be "open gay" in Russia. Sometimes your father can kill you just to "wash out the shame" from the family. Sometimes government can take back adopted child if parents are gay. Russia is a wild country in a lot of aspects, and this one is the most wild.

[ohaideredevs]

1. What makes you stay? 2. Were you one of the people who gave Putya credit for fighting corruption and dreamed that he would invest in small business and education, but then those hopes and dreams were crushed?

[doombolt]

1. I have a family and I enjoy living in a place where Russian is spoken primarily and Russian culture is dominant.

2. Maybe I was like that before 2008 or so. Didn't make a difference either way.

[sevensor]

You call yourself a nationalist -- is patriotism or love of country one of your reasons for staying?

[doombolt]

Definitely. I am more concerned with Russian people and our culture, though, than with loyality to a country as a regime plus set of borders.

If there was other Russian state, like Taiwan is for China, I think I'd jump ship and go for it. There isn't.

Upd: HN throttles me so have to answer here:

Even before 2014, Ukraine put their bet on propelling Ukrainian language and culture. Which from my perspective put them in the same ballpark as Czechia or Croatia. Surely, most people in Ukraine still speak Russian but their culture is 2nd class citizen.

Belarus is a small and boring dictatorship. They're either going the way of Ukraine or, as rumors go, get annexed by Russia. Back to square one. But otherwise it could be an option.

As for placing interests of Russia above my own: aren't we all do it sometimes in any country? Actually this is a trick question since Russians as a nation way overspent on loyalty to regimes in XX century.

[sevensor]

Thanks for your answers! I so rarely encounter educated people in the West who will admit to patriotism. Does your love of country oblige you to put Russia's interests above your own in any way?

[EugeneOZ]

"patriot" and "nationalist" are very different terms in russian language.

[jcranmer]

> If there was other Russian state, like Taiwan is for China, I think I'd jump ship and go for it. There isn't.

Are Belarus and Ukraine too distinct from Russia to you? I realize that historically, these were part of Ruthenia and then Lithuania (and Poland-Lithuania), but ethnographically, they are still part of the Rus cultural spectrum like Novgorod and Muscovy were and unlike, say, Kazakhstan or Georgia.

[dsabanin]

What’s the point of going from Russia to Belarus when it’s the same crony dictatorship out there?

Ukraine is a questionable choice since they seem to want to get away from any commonality with Russians as soon as possible, including the language.

[ohaideredevs]

There is ABSOLUTELY NO difference between Russian and Ukrainian culture. They are both leftovers from the USSR that are EXACTLY the same.

You saying otherwise is making me question your motivations.

[lostmsu]

As he mentioned above, it matters if the country supports or does not support Russian language (which makes sense to me too).

I moved from Russia in 2012, and would gladly move to Ukraine, if not for that movement away from the Russian language.

[sevensor]

That's a rather uncivil comment. You're replying to a commenter who's a self-proclaimed Russian patriot and nationalist. There's no need to go shouting about motiviations when they've already been laid on the table.

[danmaz74]

"... nationalist" sounds to me like somebody who wants to impose the power of their nation on other nations. I suppose that's why you got downvoted (I didn't).

[nine_k]

A nationalist is someone who holds the well-being of their nation as a high-priority thing. This does not necessarily make a nationalist an enemy of other nations: nationalists are usually preoccupied with the well-being of their own nation, and just want other nations peacefully mind their business.

This is how a nationalist can strongly oppose a nation's current government, when the government is not caring for the nation's prosperity (in the nationalist's eyes).

Most liberation movements across the world were and are openly nationalist.

[nicwilson]

> Upd: HN, the place where you get downvotes by agreeing to answer some questions. That's why I stopped coming.

That may be because you wrote Russian nationalist (a person with strong patriotic feelings), when you possibly meant Russian national (a citizen of a particular country).

[dsfyu404ed]

>Upd: HN, the place where you get downvotes by agreeing to answer some questions. That's why I stopped coming.

I think you might have meant "Russian national" instead of "Russian nationalist". Calling ones self a nationalist around here is highly unpopular because that term is loaded with negative connotations for left leaning upper middle class Americans that mostly make up HN. You say "nationalist" and people think of someone that stands for everything that's the opposite of they do and then they down-vote.

[wolfgke]

To me, as a German, doombolt calling himself a Russian nationalist is no signal for downvoting, but rather a signal that the answers that he will give could be from a pro-Russian perspective - so only ask if you are sufficiently open-minded to hear answers that might change your mind or are outside your echo chamber.