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Questions and answers:

Anthony asks: I want to live in the countryside of Russia. Anyone needing help I would be willing to be a daily servant to someone like a widow mother or widow who needs help. I'm seeking an Arranged relationship. I bring 1000-2000 USD per month.
Expert's answer:
You can start by contacting US citizens/other foreigners living in Russia now. Probably they can give you good advice. Here are some contacts: EXPAT American, Benyaamin Forster, a Swiss citizen making honey in the Russian countryside (Pereslavl-Zalessky), Jason Campbell, an American also living in Pereslavl-Zalessky (his story), haven't found any direct contacts of him, try to ask about him the local diocese, as he is interested in making icons. You can use Google Translate to add a Russian translation to your request to increase the chances that they will answer and can translate their reply as well.
John asks: Why do Russian people try to get into an elevator which is already full of people who are trying to get out of it?
Expert's answer:
What an unusual question. I don't think that this behavior is inherent exclusively to the Russians, it is rather a question of bad manners and lack of respect for other people, which can occur in other countries too. In general, the level of respect for each other in Russia is often quite low, people only think about themselves and their needs.
Ashmeet asks: I'm going to be coming to Russia in February for an exchange programme to work in a hospital. Is February a good month to have a social life in Russia even despite of the cold weather?
Expert's answer:
In winter there are definitely less opportunities, outdoor recreation is limited except for skiing, snowboarding. People spend most of their time indoors. Social life mostly takes place in cafes, night clubs, movie theaters, concerts, sports events, theaters, museums, etc. So if you want, you can always find something to do if you live in a city and not a small town.
Susan Vorhand asks: According to an article in the July issue of National Geographic Tuvans believe the past is ahead of them while the future lies behind. Is this true? The concept blows my mind. Can you shed some light on it, or direct me to where I might learn more about it? Thank you. Susan Vorhand PhD.
Expert's answer:

In general, this is true. Nomadic Tuvans think about the time as a road on which they move their entire lives. But, standing on this way, their faces are turned to the past, to the ancestors. All their hopes are concentrated there, they look for support in the past experience, know their ancestry to the seventh generation and can call them by names.

Everything that nomads want to get in their life, they beg from their ancestors referring to the past. That's why, warmed by the patriarchs' care, nomads turn their backs to the future. They don't choose the future as a goal, it comes to them from behind, the future for them is unpredictable and dangerous because it carries unexpected threats to their tribes.

You should find literature on the psychology of the nomads to get more details.

My asks: Are Russian racist towards blacks? I would love to visit Russia but i don't know how Russian me would see me as a black women. I've heard some men are fascinated with us there.
Expert's answer:
It would be wrong to say that all Russians are racists, but this problem exists. You can find some information in this article about racism in Russia.
Peter asks: Why are there so many more women than men in Yoshkar-Ola?
Expert's answer:

According to official statistics, 55% of the population in Yoshkar-Ola are women, and 45% - men.

In average there are 813 men per 1000 women in Yoshkar-Ola. The main reason is that a lot of men in Russia die at a working age (about 80% of all deaths) because of injuries and accidents, cardio-vascular system diseases, oncology.

The average life expectancy in the region is 67.4 years: men - 61.3 years, women - 74.1 years.

jashleen asks: Do the Russians regret not being a communist state anymore?
Expert's answer:
Not a lot of people in present Russia regret not being a communist state and in reality the USSR was not even close to communism in its true meaning. Of course there are people, mostly elderly people, who still like the USSR, have nostalgia, they vote for the Communist party of Russia. Also it should be mentioned that unfortunately a lot of young people don't know the history of their country well enough and they think that the USSR in a number of aspects was better than it actually was.
Issam HajHasan asks: Population of Maykop and the percentage of different people?
Expert's answer:
The population of Maykop is about 144,000 (2015): Russians (69,8%), Adygeans (19,1%), Armenians (3%), Ukrainians (2,5%), others (5,6%).
Ahmed asks: Hi, How does the Russian People look at those topics: 1) in deciding a business decision: they think a lot before deciding or they quickly go to action? 2) how they look to the human kind: are they born with evil inside them (so they make sins) or they are born good and do sins later due to "satan"?
Expert's answer:
The following article about doing business in Russia may be useful. You can use this service to translate from Russian. In general, you should be a risky person to start a business in Russia. As for the second question, most of people are not believers and don't think a lot about the origin of evil.
Pauline asks: I live in the United States, am attempting to locate a friend from Russia. He lives in Komosomolsk. I lost touch with him. It is my understanding he just returned home. I have the necessay information. What do I need to do now? Thanks for your help.
Expert's answer:
Unfortunately, we don't provide services related to verifying information about people in Russia. You can try to contact Russian detective agencies.
tawney asks: What are the main ethnic and cultural groups in the North Caucasus region?
Expert's answer:
Information about the main ethnic groups of the North-Caucasian Federal District. You can use this service to translate the page.
henry asks: Russia recorded population growth for the first time since 15 years. This population growth only became from North Caucas or from all ethnics of Russia? Thanks
Expert's answer:

You are right, the population of Russia increased by about 1,4% in 2009. But the overall death rate among the citizens of the country is still higher than the birth rate. About 350,000 people received Russian citizenship in 2009 (mostly people who came from the countries of the former Soviet Union).

The number of regions that have the birth rate higher than the death rate is not high. Among them are Moscow, the republics of the North Caucasus, Krasnodar and Stavropol regions, and the regions with deposits of oil and natural gas like Tyumen oblast, Khanty-Mansy autonomous okrug, Tatarstan, Bashkiria, Sverdlovsk oblast.

henry asks: Hi. Will Russia put the census of 2010 in the internet or wikipedia or not? Thanks
Expert's answer:
Here is the official site of All-Russian Population Census 2010 with all the results.
henry asks:

Russia wants to do census in 2010, but what month in 2010?

Sakha or Yakutia population is shamanism or orthodox cristianity?

All Islamic census say...the Moslems people in Asian Russia from Ural to Far East before 10 years is under 1 milion..and now in 2010 is 4 milion. I would like to know if it is true census or no? Thank you about everything.

Expert's answer:

All-Russian Population Census 2010 will begin on October 14 and end on October 25.

About 40% of people living in Yakutia say that they are believers, about 45% belong to Orthodox Christianity, 26% - traditional religions of native peoples of the region.

Unfortunately I couldn't find statistics for these regions of Russia, so I can't say if the numbers are true or not.

Darrell asks: I like to know the ratio of women is to men that's single? In Krasnoyarsk city? as well as small town Minino? How is the economy currently in this city?
Expert's answer:
I couldn't find statistics for the cities but in Russia the ratio of single women to single men is about 3/1. Minino is a small village and not even a town, the population of the whole district where Minino is the administrative center is about 2,300 people. The main advantage of the village is that it is located near Krasnoyarsk city so more and more people come there to build country houses.
henry asks: First question, how many ethnic Russian people comeback to Russia from 1991 to 2010? Second one, the Russian goverment giving money for Russian mothers to make more children. This is only for ethnic Russian people or for all ethnics of Russia? Thanks
Expert's answer:
I couldn't find any info about ethnic Russians. The total number of migrants who came to Russia (mostly from the countries of the former Soviet Union) in 1992-2006 is about 5,5 millions. As for the second question, the program is for all citizens of Russia regardless of an ethnic group, religion.
fnhughy asks: What is the most common name?
Expert's answer:
In 2008, according to statistics, the most popular names in Russia were:
  • Girls: Anastasiya, Mariya, Darya, Anna, Yelizaveta, Polina, Viktoriya, Yekaterina
  • Boys: Alexander, Maksim, Ivan, Artyom, Dmitriy, Nikita, Mikhail, Daniil, Yegor, Andrey
Aj asks: My fiancee who lives in Sosnovka, Kirov region, is going to the hospital in Nizhny Novgorod for special surgery of her legs and hand bones. What is the address of the hospital she must be going to? Is there a phone number to call? An address to send flowers?
Expert's answer:
There are a lot of various hospitals in Nizhny Novgorod as it is one of the largest cities in Russia. If you have more details maybe I can find the contacts of it.
Mark asks: I am traveling to St. Petersburg next month as a tourist. I am African American..should I have any concerns?
Expert's answer:

Yes, large Russian cities like Moscow and Saint-Petersburg and some others have problems with racial intolerance. Statistics for 2009 (total number in Russia, most incidents happened in several large cities): 215 acts of aggression, 74 people killed, about 300 wounded.

So if you are traveling in a group, don't leave it and you will be safe. Also it would be better to avoid walking alone in the evening and at night especially not in the center of the city, be careful while going to night clubs, bars as places of increased risk of conflict.

erina asks: I believe my father was born in Khadabuluk south of Chita. Where could I find information and photos of this village/town? thank you
Expert's answer:
Unfortunately I could not find the settlement/village/town with the exact or similar name to the one mentioned in your request.
Alexis asks: I'm writing a report for a school project and I would like to know how do most people in Russia earn a living?
Expert's answer:

According to the official reports of the Russian Statistical Agency (2009) here is the situation of workforce distribution by leading industries (% of all workforce, real number of people in thousands, the average monthly salary).

  • Manufacturing industries - 18,3% (12,640; 550 USD)
  • Wholesale and retail trade - 15,7% (10,876; 550 USD)
  • Transport and communications - 9,4% (6,531; 730 USD)
  • Education - 9% (6,218; 400 USD)
  • Agriculture - 8,2% (5,673; 250 USD)
  • Public health services - 7,3% (5,064; 450 USD)
  • Public management, national defense - 7,1% (4,938)
  • Construction - 6,9% (4,782; 600 USD)
  • Real estate activities - 6% (4,199)
  • Electricity, gas, water production, distribution - 3% (2,034)
  • Hotels and restaurants - 2% (1,386)
  • Mining operations - 1,6% (1,124; 1100 USD)
  • Financial activities - 1,5% (1,057; 1300 USD)

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