Russian Women - Opinions and Advice

[Stravinsky]

but it is far from over.

gt,

i think it is significant that jackson has waived his long standing ban on political discussions and allowed someone to create a thread in the ukraine forum for "ukraine politics". even jackson understands that you can't meet women for sex in the ukraine without understanding the politics.

i have no superior knowledge--all i know is what i read in the papers. is the ukraine a wildcard? absolutely. no one has any special understanding of the situation there and no one can predict what will happen. what is happening there is tragic. you are talking about a land with cultural, social and linguistic differences that have existed for centuries. in this environment, i don't think putin needs to do much of anything. all he has to do is stand by and let it happen.

it should be pointed out that putin has not actually traveled to the ukraine and stood up in front of its people and advocated for revolution, as john mccain did. this was irresponsible and reprehensible. but then, he's an american and we americans can't resist a good revolution. we like to go in with our six-shooters drawn, guns blazing and sort it all out after the smoke has cleared. we then return to the comfort of our lives and let someone else clean up the mess.

so, neither side is free from blame.

yatsenyuk has proposed a referendum, during the election in may, to allow the people in eastern ukraine to decide if they want to be a part of russia or ukraine. so, the borders may in fact be re-drawn, hopefully without a shot.

but, back to your concern about containing soviet expansion in the west...

could putin decide to send russian troops and tanks across the border of eastern ukraine? yes, of course, that is his decision to make. but this would be a de facto declaration of war; not only against ukraine, but also against europe, and that would unleash a completely new set of circumstances that even putin could not predict or control. and there is nothing more important to putin than being in control.

instead of speculating, i urge you again to read putin's speech of march 18th. normally putin keeps his cards pretty close to his vest, but in this speech he lays it all out there on the table. of course, there is a lot of bs and double talk, just as there is when any political world leader speaks, but there are also some excellent insights into how he thinks and what motivates him.

this is the link: eng.kremlin.ru/news/6889

the situation in ukraine is truly tragic, but i have to confess, all this hand-wringing over transdnistria is simply laughable. it is a tiny little sliver of land sandwiched between moldova and ukraine. there is absolutely nothing there that putin could want, aside from the ethnic russians and maybe the kvint factory (which makes excellent cognac-btw). it's only hope is to become a kind of disney-style theme park for the soviet union. bring the family, thrill to the harassment and insults of the border guards as they pick through your documenti, marvel at the accurate reproduction of a genuine third-world culture from days gone by, have your picture taken in front of lenin's statue, ride in a t34 and buy a bottle of kvint, before boarding your luxurious marshrut and chugging back to chisinau.

where do i sign up!!

the moscow times has an excellent article here: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/beyond...ase_id=4430803

no one can predict what will happen in ukraine, but i guarantee you: absolutely, positively, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die, putin will not annex transdnistria.

what i cannot guarantee is that merkel won't decide to annex kaliningrad. :d

[Gentleman Travel]

Paranoia strikes deep, into your life it will creep...

OMG-I never thought of it that way! What'll we do? What'll we do?

Relax GT, the Crimea is not the beginning of Russian expansion, it is the end.

Putin will go no further than the Crimea, partly because he understands that Russia will have its hands full digesting its conquest, but mainly because he understands that if he does, everything will be up for grabs and he could lose the very thing he values most: the Crimea.

[...]Putin is not stupid, and he is not a hot-head. He understands the interdepencies of the modern day world. If he nationalizes foreign assets in Russia, that will be the end of foreign investment. Putin wants to present Russia to the world as a modern nation, that's what Sochi was all about. He does not want to take it back 40 years into the Cold War.

.And then there are future potential conflicts if the Putin Doctrine prevails: Transdnister, Eastern Oblasts, territorial disputes in Asian waters and not just by Russia, this is a valuable doctrine for anyone (like China) to adopt when convenient. And Russia's claim to the Arctic, if they are not to be bound by international law or norms.

Stravinksy, I bow to your superior knowledge about Russian language and culture, but I hope you are not advising Mr. Obama on geo-politics.

Putin has the Eastern Oblasts simmering nicely now and may come to a full boil at any time. Whether he intends to turn up the heat more in Transdnister or not is unclear; he will probably just keep that simmering.

If he wanted to just keep Crimea, he would be making nice now. But as a minimum he wants to cripple the UA government and create grief for the West. More likely he wants to take over the eastern oblasts, whether by force or (more likely) by stealth.

But it is far from over.

[YummyPL]

Actually Yummy, this is a thong which has been washed out and hung to dry on the hot water pipe in my bathroom. This is a classic technique of Russian girls who attend a sleep-over. In fact, however, this particular girl DOES wear thigh high stockings!

Ahhh. Makes sense. Looking at pictures on the iPhone is sometimes deceptive. I knew it was a bathroom pipe. I do think it is interesting that having hot water pipes set up as towel racks is so common (and ingenious) in Russia but basically non-existent in the USA even in houses with radiator heat.

[Jake993]

I mentioned in a recent post how pleased I was to find normal, even relatively conservative girls wearing thigh-highs as part of their normal wardrobe. It is so unusual in the West. I love it.

Actually Yummy, this is a thong which has been washed out and hung to dry on the hot water pipe in my bathroom. This is a classic technique of Russian girls who attend a sleep-over. In fact, however, this particular girl DOES wear thigh high stockings!

[YummyPL]

Any of you who have spend any time in Russia will recognize this phenomenon fondly.

I mentioned in a recent post how pleased I was to find normal, even relatively conservative girls wearing thigh-highs as part of their normal wardrobe. It is so unusual in the West. I love it.

[Jake993]

Any of you who have spend any time in Russia will recognize this phenomenon fondly.

[YummyPL]

i've been thinking about the "white god" factor recently as it applies to russia. i have been to rural philippines and have seen what i suspect was some real white good factor as it applies to a search for sex. it is unbelievably easy to pick up a philipino girl for just a night of fun. and beyond that, many of them are a lot of fun to be with. if i like the look more, i would certainly spend more time there than i have.

but what of this factor in russia and ukraine. jake suggested that it might still be alive in rural ukraine, but what of the rest of our area of interest?

let's look at some of what i consider facts:

1. slavic girls for whatever reason (cultural norms, security, money, etc.) seem less concerned about age difference. while it may not be as common in the past, russian and ukrainian girls will still consider a man 15-20 years (or even more) their senior as viable mating partners and nobody seems to think it unusual to see young girls with older men.

2. putting aside racism which certainly plays a factor, girls all over the world find foreigners intriguing or exotic. each girl has their own reason, but it is an icebreaking factor and maybe even a getting into the bedroom factor. both in togliati and in samara i met girls that had never met an american before and these are cities with a fairly big foreign presence. it was the basis to easily start and continue a conversation.

3. western men have a reputation for treating their women well-materially and inter-personally. obviously this can be problematic, but it can be worked to our benefit for sure.

4. there are still plenty of girls in russia and ukraine that are scraping by on $300 or less per month.

5. almost all girls know someone or at least know of someone that that has immigrated to the west and is living a better life.

to me it seems russian nationalism is a positive thing for the man looking for sex but not looking for a wife. i think for all the reasons they did before, you can find a girl that will have sex with you, but at the same time these nationalist girls that love mother russia are less likely to push for marriage. this seems especially true with the younger girls.

clearly there are a lot more factors involved and i could write all day about this, but opportunity still exists in russia (and ukraine, for now). on wednesday i am headed back to russia for my 6th trip in less than 12 months. i am happy if the current political climate keeps people away. nobody has ever accused me of being a sissy. the more i learn, the better it gets. i just need to be more disciplined in practicing my russian language.

[Stravinsky]

Anyway, it looks like I may soon have the opportunity to research my theories first-hand as a return to the +3 hours time zone beckons!

G,

Good to hear from you! Glad to know that you will be back-in-the-saddle again. Let us know what you find in the +3 hour time zone. Myself, I think the train ride from Moscow to Simferopl would be an interesting trip. Probably the best 2,500 руб. you will ever spend.

[Gergiev]

Good analysis Strav. Nicely thought out and presented. Thanks for your opinion.

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking.

I've been reading reams of material on this subject for weeks now and Strav's concise analysis is one of the best summaries I've come across.

Those of us with an understanding of the Russian mindset and observing this part of the world from week to week, over a period of years - rather than just reacting to events, forming an opinion and then moving on to the next act of the global political circus - will not have been too surprised by Putin's annexation of Crimea.

Like Strav, I believe this is a 'stand-alone' intrusion but I would qualify it by saying that Putin will give the West or any other potential protagonists as much war as they want in this part of the world, or 'near abroad' as he terms it. Russian nationalism is an atavistic impulse and not one mediated by the financial effect on their collective pocket.

On the subject of the all-important White God Factor (sorry Vladimir Vladimirovich, not you this time!), I'd venture to say it is still alive to some degree in rural and provincial Ukraine.

Unlike Russians, a huge amount of young Ukrainians while loving their country (they're still Slavs!) recognise that it is a 'failed state' and know they may need to seek a secure future elsewhere.

This constitutes a certain part of the movement at Maiden last winter as youngsters want to have the freedom to migrate and are not necessarily thinking of EU membership miraculously elevating Ukraine to western levels of prosperity. They just want the freedom to get out.

Which would be fine for them but no good for Europe as Ukraine as a commercial entity is unsalvageable, in my opinion.

Anyway, it looks like I may soon have the opportunity to research my theories first-hand as a return to the +3 hours time zone beckons!

[Gentleman Travel]

OK, gotcha, basically you're just pissed off because Putin screwed up your vacation. Fair enough, you're not the only one. I've already had this same conversation several times with other people in the same situation.

It is interesting how quickly,"Damn Putin fucked up my travel plans", turns into,"We must contain Soviet expansion in the West". .

Actually Strav, my foreign policy views are slightly more principled than that.

Despite the hiccup in my own travel plans, I believe this "Cold War Redux", and all of Putin's domestic thuggery, are actually very good for mongering. Keeps out the tourists and faint-hearted. Despite these obvious and very material benefits, I still oppose it on humanitarian and global security grounds!

GT, if you are going to the Ukraine soon, be careful; very careful. Particularly in the eastern Ukraine: Donyetsk, Kharkiv, Dniepopetrovsk, etc. I imagine you are traveling with a Canadian passport, so that may help you. Americans are pretty much persona non grata right now (or is that personae non gratae?).

Since those cities, along with Luhansk, are fairly likely destinations for me, I will keep your travel advisory in mind. As for my passport, I'm not sure drunken gopniks always check before they pound the crap out of you. It's only when they rob me afterwards they will discover the error of their ways, having mistook an inoffensive advocate of "Peace, Order and Good Government" for an imperialist Yankee warmonger. Won't they feel silly then?

[Jake993]

Jake,

It is interesting how quickly a simple question about where to meet Russian women can turn into a political debate. Russia may be unique, I'm not sure there is any other country like that-politics is just part of the territory. It's been quiet in Russia for so long, we just sort of forgot, but now it's part of the landscape again.

As you so aptly put it: Russia is not for sissies. .

The saga continues.

I had coffee with the GF on Wednesday and she corrected my initial impression.

In fact there probably WAS a plan to post formal notices on the street informing motorists that this section of the street was going to be converted to a "no parking zone". What probably happened was that the guy in charge of posting the notices made a deal with the guy who ran the tow truck and impound lot to accidentally on purpose FORGET to post the notices so that they could catch everyone unawares and hence shake down all of the car owners more effectively. Got to love the new style of corruption in Moscow.

And since is the "Russian Women" thread, I suppose I am obligated to say that after we had coffee, we went back to my place and screwed like rabbits.

[Stravinsky]

Jake,

It is interesting how quickly a simple question about where to meet Russian women can turn into a political debate. Russia may be unique, I'm not sure there is any other country like that--politics is just part of the territory. It's been quiet in Russia for so long, we just sort of forgot, but now it's part of the landscape again.

As you so aptly put it: Russia is not for sissies.

[Stravinsky]

But the Crimea part really pisses me off. I would already be in UA if not for the wrench that threw into the works. Plus I had hoped to visit Crimea (visa-free). Now I don't think they will be letting in a lot of westerners and even if they were, the nationalists there might take exception to mongers taking their women.

OK, gotcha, basically you're just pissed off because Putin screwed up your vacation. Fair enough, you're not the only one. I've already had this same conversation several times with other people in the same situation.

It is interesting how quickly, "Damn Putin fucked up my travel plans", turns into, "We must contain Soviet expansion in the West".

And happily it is to the Ukraine that I am headed next, for an extended tour, so I will find out how eager the dyevs there are to cozy up to a western man.

GT, if you are going to the Ukraine soon, be careful; very careful. Particularly in the eastern Ukraine: Donyetsk, Kharkiv, Dniepopetrovsk, etc. I imagine you are traveling with a Canadian passport, so that may help you. Americans are pretty much persona non grata right now (or is that personae non gratae?).

Remember, in the Chinese language, the character for disaster is also the same as the character for opportunity. If you play your cards right, you could have the time of your life. I envy you, lucky bastard!

[Gentleman Travel]

Putin is not stupid, and he is not a hot-head. He understands the interdepencies of the modern day world. If he nationalizes foreign assets in Russia, that will be the end of foreign investment. Putin wants to present Russia to the world as a modern nation, that's what Sochi was all about. He does not want to take it back 40 years into the Cold War.

I hope you are right about that, Strav. And in recognition that this is the "Russian Women" thread and not "Russian Politics", I will drop the subject.

However, this discussion did start with how all this might affect EE women's views of westerners, so let's end it that way also.

So, buck up GT, all is not lost. You may not find as many Russian women looking to hook up with Western men as you had hoped, but there should be plenty of Ukrainian ones. And if you look on the bright side, your Russian visa will now get you into the Crimea!

And happily it is to the Ukraine that I am headed next, for an extended tour, so I will find out how eager the dyevs there are to cozy up to a western man.

But the Crimea part really pisses me off. I would already be in UA if not for the wrench that threw into the works. Plus I had hoped to visit Crimea (visa-free). Now I don't think they will be letting in a lot of westerners and even if they were, the nationalists there might take exception to mongers taking their women.

[Jake993]

OMG-I never thought of it that way! What'll we do? What'll we do?

Relax GT, the Crimea is not the beginning of Russian expansion, it is the end.

Good analysis Strav. Nicely thought out and presented. Thanks for your opinion.