The Russians

Some cultural DOs and DON’Ts

Most Russians are just like other people we know except for those few differences listed
below. It doesn't mean that everybody is like this, but you have quite a good chance of
noticing at least some of these things in an average Russian's behaviour.
If you are lucky enough to meet a person whose character incorporates all of the items from
the list below, you can be sure that this person is the pure Russian character and should be
treated with the highest respect. If you decide to become a Russian, you can use the list as a
set of handy guidelines.

Living with the Russians

• One thing in common to all Russians is a Dusha, or the Russian ‘soul’. It is a central phenomenon,
difficult to define at first but explaining almost all their everyday behaviour. One can notice that mutual liking
and sharing emotions forms a strong basis for understanding and co-operation, also in business.

• The Russians are a free nation. Consequently, they despise all the rules. It’s an honour for a Russian
driver to move on the red light, to bother other drivers and scorn pedestrians. When you are in Moscow and
are just passing a crossing on the green light, you have to remember that it is you whom they hunt.

• It’s cool to do nothing and to just lie on the sofa thinking how great you are. Russia is such an amazing
country and has given the world so much, that a Russian feels he can just rest a bit.

• A Russian name consists of first name, patronymic (father’s) name and family name. When meeting
Tatiana Ivanovna Titova, you should address her as Tatiana Ivanovna (meaning Tatiana, a daughter of
Ivan). Using a full name would be too formal, and first name only would be showing lack of respect.

• They value generosity. They will give you the last piece of bread they have, if they believe you really need
it. And they expect the same in return.

• They are indifferent by nature; they don’t care too much about dirt on the streets, saving money, the war
in Chechnya, breaking the rules, risk taking without particular reason, drinking too much...

• ... and most of them are very proud. Don't talk to them about our vices, they won't listen anyway. And don't
dare criticise the way their country is -- Russia is the best place and they are ready to prove it right away to
the whole world.

• Some of them are quite emotional, but somehow it’s all kept inside most of the time. But in the time of
crisis, a Russian can be like a volcano.

• They are not politically correct, they take pleasure in talking about their opinions and they will not look for
fancy words to conceal their feelings.

• They don't feel easy talking to strangers on the street, but if you start conversation saying that you're from
another country or ask for some help, there's a good chance they will be very open, because they are
curious about foreigners.

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• Some of them think that all foreigners are rich; so if they spot a foreigner, they may try to take advantage
and make some money, because they still have fixed that communist idea that everybody should be equal.

• Beware of the babushkas (old women). They are active, pushy and very proud of themselves, so if you do
something not the way they think you should’ve done, then you had better disappear.

• When you are invited to the party bring something with you - beer is usually accepted, but something
stronger would be gladly welcomed.

• If you're invited for a meal, expect that your hosts will feed you until you show that you cannot swallow
another bite and are not capable of moving. If you think that's dangerous for your health, or if you're on a
diet, you should imitate satiety, otherwise you will end up feeling bad.

• If you ask a woman out be prepared to pay for her everywhere. If you invited a man, he’ll pay for himself,
and there's a good chance he'll pay for you as well without telling you about it.

• Men should be strong and assertive, and women should be smart and beautiful. That's just one of many
stereotypes they share.

• Russians are not racists. They grew up in the world, where everybody should be equal and where the
friendship of nations was an important part of the agenda. However, they feel that some cleaning and
consequent maintenance of Africa should be done by the Blacks, and they believe they all should go there
and start the job right now. But at the same time they invite all the Africans to come visiting Russia, to bring
their money and spend it in Russia.

• The older people can be sometimes too patriotic and request the old soviet citizens to stay calm and don’t
behave as if they were independent. You should neither discuss nor show foreigners’ superiority in any
discipline because it will surely offend the Russian ‘patriotic’ feelings.

• Most Russians feel a bit strange about gays and lesbians, but prefer not to talk or express their feelings
about it. There is however, quite a large gay & lesbian community in Moscow and St. Petersburg and
specialised websites have thousands and thousands of profiles featuring gorgeous gay men and women. It
seems to be a specific underground subculture.

• They love vodka, but they are not alcoholics. Despite what some people think, Russians are not
drunkards. They just have a particular set of gins and a special resistance to alcohol, that's why they can
drink so much. You should know that if you drink with them, you'll have to drink as much as they do, or they
will be offended.

• Russians are hooligans. It's not because they're bad, they are just different. That's why you hear Russian
tourists singing their folk songs at 3 am in their London hotel, and that's why they start a revolution every 80
years. That might be also a result of having the Russian dusha.

• They are superstitious. And if you want to shake hands with a Russian, you should never ever do it over a
threshold of the doorstep. You have to come in first, otherwise you will quarrel. Another thing, if you go back
to your house just after you left - look at the mirror. But you shouldn’t leave again unless you sit down first for
a minute or two. If you leave something behind at your host’s, it means you are happy and want to come
back.

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When taking flowers as a gift you must only take an odd number. Even numbers of flowers are only given at
funerals and in normal circumstances can be understood as a sign of bad luck.

• They don’t speak English. Although the Russians learn English at school and many people can
understand the basics, they are shy to speak to a stranger. They say one out of five Moscovites can speak
English well enough to communicate; if they only were not afraid to speak.

• They like all things fancy. But their understanding of fancy is rather original. You will often see men in
suits or tucked-in shirts, while women prefer noticeable and sexy outfits. The colours for men are usually
dark or grey, while women like light and bright colours. One thing in common though is wearing abundance
of gold to communicate owners wealth and well-being.

• A club is not a place to party. They make it the place for the chosen ones. If you want to visit a club, they
have this thing called "dress code" where you might not be allowed because you wear Nike sneakers, old
khakis or a fleece coat. However, the rules are more lax for foreigners, so if unsure about your appearance
just speak English load enough while passing the club's entrance, and you're guaranteed to get in.

• They express their feelings, but are not extroverts. They swear and shout in public, and can kiss in
public as well. Notice how many kissing couples you will see on the long escalators in Moscow metro.
However, Russians do not gesticulate much when they are talking, they do not look straight into your eyes
and quite often will introduce longer moments of silence when speaking or answering your question. Such
behaviour does not carry any second meaning for them.

• Smoking is a national sport, but many people understand it's not good for health and will always agree to
stub out their cigarette if it bothers you. Today many people have a positive attitude towards healthy lifestyle
and have a daily morning exercise routine or run in the park before their first cigarette.

• They believe that if you are a vegetarian, chances are you have problems with digestion. For a healthy
Russian, ‘No meat’ means ‘No meal’.

Good to know facts

• Rurik was a Viking chieftain who arrived in 862 to the present-day North Russia, built the fortress of
Ladoga and started the process of uniting the local Slavic tribes. In spite of the fact that he was a foreigner,
he succeeded and founded the Rurik dynasty which ruled Rus and then Russia until the 17th century.

• Nowadays, the median age is 38.4 years, male: 35.2 years, female: 41.6 years (2009 est.)

• The estimated number of mobile phone subscribers jumped from fewer than 1 million in 1998 to nearly
188 million in 2008. It was 10 years of inter-comm revolution!

• The economy had averaged 7% growth since the 1998 Russian financial crisis, resulting in a doubling of
real disposable incomes and the emergence of a middle class.

• Russia has a wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many
strategic minerals. However, formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of
natural resources.

• Good topics of conversation include peace, the current changes taking place in Russia, and their current
economic situation

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Doing Business with the Russians
• Russians are weird in business. As they say themselves, some jumped too deep into the capitalist world,
while others are still staying too far behind.

• Not long ago they tried to take advantage of each and every opportunity and you were likely to be
swindled at any corner. Be cautious and avoid unregistered companies, street salesmen and those who only
provide a cell phone for contact.

• A good, successful company will usually have an office or two in the city centre, lots of marble at the
entrance, leather furniture and golden ornaments everywhere. More often they will also prove their position
with the landline and fax number and e-mail or web address.

• A traditional Russian company structure usually looks like a Christmas tree rather than a pyramid.
Branches are not connected between themselves but are strongly attached to the main trunk providing
resources, communication and leadership. The boss is sitting at the very top and controlling all the
organisation.
• The position and importance of an employee in the company is based on the relationship he has with the
top man. The level of confidence is the most important indicator and individual qualifications and experience
are of a secondary meaning.
• Business traditions in Russia are different and speaking about Western business ethics in Russia can be
only used as a means to make the Russian counterparts laugh.

• In most cases a bribe is the only way to finalise a contract with a state run company – it is tradition.

• Showing respect for seniority and recognising the hierarchical structure is vital for establishing and
maintaining healthy business relationships.

• The attitude towards time is normal. You should be polite and come on time, being 5 minutes late is
tolerated, but nobody will wait for you longer than 15 minutes. On their part, a few minutes is of little
importance, and they will not feel bad keeping you waiting for half an hour or so.

• Shake hands firmly when greeting and leaving and make direct eye contact to show where you are
standing.

• Physical contact between males such as so called ‘little bear’ embracing or kissing prove only their friendly
intentions. Touching during business meetings such as a hand on your arm or even embracing is a positive
sign. There is no word for 'privacy' in Russian; therefore the notion of individual social space almost
doesn’t exist.

• Business cards are good practice. Ensure that one side is printed in Russian and the other in English.
When receiving a card it is polite to read it carefully before putting it away.

• Go for small talk, which normally involves talk of your family, your money and your personal matters,
before dealing with their business.

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• Bring a gift that symbolises your company and shows the importance of the impending business deal. It
can be an item characteristic of your local area (a bottle of local alcohol) or one that displays your company
logo (a bottle of alcohol with the logo on the label).

• To begin a meeting, the head of the organisation will open the discussion, the others are there to listen.
Everybody remembers about their place in the hierarchy tree.

• Personal and informal contact is a central part in doing business. Many principal concerns are discussed
in an informal environment, but the final negotiations will be conducted most often in office settings.

• Friendship first, then business is a Russian business motto. In Russia contracts are signed between
friends and it is normal to divide potential partners into ‘ours’ and ‘strangers’.

• In situations of conflict avoid taking an official stance and remember that Russians are 'people orientated'
and will respond better to a more personal approach.

• In business negotiations, Russians can view your willingness to compromise as a sign of weakness.

• You shouldn’t praise or reward anyone in public as it may be viewed with suspicion or cause envy. In
Russia still the collective rules over the individual.

• Paperwork and putting pen to paper is an essential part of all working practices in Russia. In general, they
have little faith in unstamped and unsigned documents.

• Nowadays faxes and emails are the best way to send documents when you are away. The Russian mail
can often be unreliable.

• At the same time, the Russians prefer direct contact to a fax or mail. As a result, effective business
making starts when you create an opportunity to speak directly to your counterpart. If the initial written
contact is not followed with direct conversation, they believe you are not interested any more in the particular
project.

• It is up to the calling party to call several times if unsuccessful at first. It is not a very common practise in
Russia to ‘call back’ so leaving a message doesn’t solve your problem.

• It is customary before making a trip to Russia to inform the prospective company in advance of your
intended business proposals and objectives.

• If you're coming for a business meeting, it is usually considered polite on their part to "attach" a special
person to you, who will show you the city, take you to the most important sights, help you with your Russian,
and get you the best room in the hotel. You might also be offered traditional Russian adventures, such as a
visit to a public steam-bath (Russian banya) and a few shots of vodka in a local bar or at somebody's place.

• Banya, or Russian sauna, is a place where you meet only verified male partners. You can expect only
about half an hour of the real sauna fun at the highest possible temperature. Then it is time for business.
Usually, they come to banya to sit at the table, eat, drink and discuss business details in an informal setting.
You must not say ‘No’ when invited to banya or you lose business.

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• Because they believe that asking questions means lack of knowledge or professionalism, they very
seldom ask questions during a discussion. Asking a Russian ‘Do you understand’, or ‘Do you know what I
mean’ proves lack of respect and good manners on your side.

• When listening to you, a Russian will not show any signs communicating understanding, no body
language, and after you finish he will keep quiet for a moment. It is the Russian way of showing their respect
and appreciation.

• During a business meeting you can expect at first a rather cold, reserved introduction, but later, if they
are truly interested in doing business with you, they can be very informal, emotional, very expressive and
even personal. It can start with some quiet conversation and go up to shouting.

• Be aware of different connotations they give to some common expressions. If Russians say ‘No Problem’
they mean they are not interested in the topic because it is not important. ‘It will be difficult” means they will
do it; it is a promise, but it will requires some effort.

• Apart from the ‘official’ language, they developed specific slang called ‘mat’ and a language of gestures
helping in non-verbal communication. You should have a good interpreter to be effective and to understand
the true meaning when dealing particularly with rich Russians.

• Russians negotiate ‘win-win’ only with friends. Others will have to be prepared for ‘win-lose’ outcome. In
Russia ‘compromise’ means ‘yield’, and ‘yield’ means ‘lose’, and lose means lose your authority and
importance, so you should not expect to strike a deal when meeting a new partner for the first time.

• In business, they prefer to have exclusive rights... to a product, to business, even to doing business with
the same person. It makes breaking the ice difficult but then can prove to be a beneficial feature of dealing
with Russians.

• When going for your Russian visa remember that the procedure is invented for your own good and if it
will not discourage you, the chances are you will even enjoy visiting that exotic, Eastern country.

/ more info: MikeW, +44 (0)7 865 934 40 /

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