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Khabarovsk regularly takes place at the end of the top 30 cities in Russia with the highest crime rate. So this is not the safest place in Russia. You should follow such usual precautions as not to go alone in the evening/night time, especially not in the city center. Also don't bring a lot of cash with you (use Visa/Mastercard debit cards), avoid conflicts with locals especially when visiting night clubs, cafes, restaurants. You should better keep your documents, tickets, cards, other valuables with you, don't leave them in hotels/rented apartments.

Here are some official figures. In 2017, the total number of crimes registered in St. Petersburg was about 50,000: murders and attempted murders - 198, thefts - 19,000, drugs - 12,000, burglaries - 1,900, robbery attacks - 400, rapes - 51. According to Europe: Crime Index 2018 by NUMBEO, St. Petersburg has almost the same Crime and Safety Indexes as Berlin, Germany.

Rostov-on-Don is among top 10 most criminal cities in Russia. So from this point of view it is not a very safe city. However, if you are concerned about safety during the World Cup 2018, then during this time, special efforts will be made to ensure security, so a visit to the city will be relatively safe.

I would recommend that you still follow such simple precautions as always keep your documents, tickets, cards, cash with you because thefts are still very possible. You should also avoid walking alone in the evening/night time especially not in the central part of the city.

According to a large-scale survey of residents of Russian cities, Volgograd is one of the most dangerous cities in the country, if it is about safety while walking on the streets in the evening and at night. In general, according to the statistics, Volgograd is not in the list of top 10 most criminal cities in Russia. In recent years, the crime rate in Volgograd has been growing all the time due to the poor economic situation.

Khabarovsk is a relatively large city located near the border with China and a lot of foreigners visit it. From this point of view it is safer comparing to small towns where every foreigner immediately becomes the center of attention. There are still some risks and I would not recommend you to go for a walk alone or with your gf in the evening/night time, especially not in the central parts of the city, avoid any conflicts with locals, be especially careful if you go to local night clubs/bars.

It is safe enough to visit the city. The crime rate in Volgograd is below Russian average. In any case our advice is not to walk alone in the evening/night time especially if you are not in the central part of the city, don't carry a lot of cash (better use Visa/Mastercard), try to avoid conflicts with locals especially in night clubs/bars, etc.

According to this article, Rostov oblast is on the 63th place in crime rate among all Russian regions (in the first half of 2011). Here is an article about the most dangerous and safest districts of Rostov-on-Don. The following service to translate from Russian. In general, it is not recommended to walk alone in evening/night time, especially not in the central parts of the city.

The crime rate in Penza is slightly lower than the average in Russia and the Volga Federal District. Anyway, you should follow such simple rules as don't walk alone in the evening/night time, especially not in the central parts of the city, avoid conflicts with locals, don't take a lot of cash with you, use debit cards (Visa/Mastercard).

The crime rate in Voronezh is lower than in the majority of other large Russian cities, about 18 crimes per 1,000 residents per year. As for terrorism, there were several explosions of bombs in the summer of 2004.

Irkutsk is one of the most dangerous cities in Russia in terms of criminal situation. During your visit to Irkutsk it would be better to avoid walking alone in the evening/night time, especially not in the central part of the city.

Update. This question was asked and answered in 2010. At that time, the Irkutsk region including the city of Irkutsk was on the 80th place among 83 regions of Russia by the number of crimes per 100,000 inhabitants (27.12). In 2017, the situation was better but the region remained at the bottom of the list, on the 63th place among 82 regions (19.5).