Of all the nations in the world, it might be possible that Russians are the ones that get stereotyped the most. And it's not hard to understand why, because the country defies an easy interpretation. One only needs to look at the wonderful Atlas of Prejudice https://atlasofprejudice.com/get-back-home-russia-lunch-is-ready-72b08ce9c042 (seriously guys, check it out because it is both at the same time hilarious and informing!)

So yes, I think if you would search the entire world you wouldn't find a place that is more misunderstood and judged upon by the people in the West than Russia. And amusing as these stereotypes and clichés may sound to an outsider, they stand in the way of really understanding a culture that is truly worth discovering.

It is not really hard to see why the Western people have trouble understanding Russia and its inhabitants. After all, Russia seems quite familiar, since it is geographically also a part of the European continent and has its own – historically developed – branch of Christianity. Yet at the same time is also seems exotic. Because however bit Russia's European part might be, it's still only a fraction of its total surface and its Asian territory is far bigger, more mysterious and just plainly less accessible to most Westerners. Hence the wild ideas a lot of Europeans and Americans get from just the word "Siberia" or any of the many stereotypes and clichés below.

History has enough examples of people not understanding Russia and judging it based on their simplistic and condescending opinions. Once only need to look to Sweden's Charles XII, Napoleon or Hitler to find proof of the oftentimes clueless and overly simplistic way Western people regard Russia and its inhabitants.



But enough introduction, let's take a good look at a few of the most prevalent stereotypes that exist about Russians.

Maybe the most 'popular' cliché is that almost all Russians are capable of drinking vodka like water, and most of them will always have a bottle in their house whether they drink it regularly or not. And however ingrained it might be, is should be noted that obviously Vodka is not considered a replacement for water.

Despite its tradition and historical ties the traditional vodka-drinking Russian is getting more and more replaced by the global millennial and their craft beers, coffee places and wine bars. At least in the bigger and more forward-thinking cities that is. Head deep into the countryside and another sight will be unveiling before your eyes, effectively feeling like you went back into time and the customary vodka bottle is more readily available.

However, nowadays vodka is generally reserved for celebrations and is almost exclusively enjoyed in social situations at which it is accompanied by food.

With the whole world fast becoming one global culture, it shouldn't be surprising to note that Russian society is also becoming more and more health-conscious and that the rampant alcoholism is frowned upon, although of course alcoholism still remains a problem for a small part of the population, just as it is in all other countries.

After all, the most popular and typical beverage Russians consume isn't vodka, but tea, with reportedly almost 95% of Russians regularly drinking at least two cups a day!

Russian people are often thought of as being grumpy, cold and stone-faced as well as being reserved or uninviting. Simply because they don't smile nearly as much as say Americans do. But then again, who does? There are, we think, two reasons why this stereotype has come to exists.

The first reason is that most tourists and foreigners primarily interact with Russian people in a more bureaucratic context. With that we mean for instance a person at a ticket booth, a train guard,… While these people may come across as rather impolite, a decent service in Russia typically means just being straightforward and formally polite, with no more personal friendliness needed. And for police officers and custom agents? Well, of course they look stern and forbidding. It might as well be part of their job description!

Secondly, Russian people themselves might also strike you as very blunt. That is because truthfulness is considered a prime virtue and beating around the bush isn't tolerated. For a Russian person, a yes means yes and no means no. It's easy, right? Well, of course this leans itself to misinterpretation easily. Allow us to give an explanation from our own life.

In the same way a smile carries also more meaning for a Russian person than for an average Westerner. When you see people smiling at you in America or Europe it generally doesn't mean anything other than an overall neutral attitude toward you. By contrast, in Russia, a smile is always personal so when a Russian smiles at you, this is most certainly genuine and well deserved.

So the better you come to know them, the more you will be seeing their affectional and merry side and their great sense of humour.

You will find a great article elaborating on this at https://www.56thparallel.com/russian-smile/ so don't forget to go and check it out!

This is an interesting one. Because it is true that a lot of people say Russia is full of corruption, especially in its government but also in its people in general. This may in part be due to a history in which since medieval times handing over bribes was just a normal part of business and society in general.

However detrimental and unhealthy nepotism and corruption are, it is nevertheless interesting to see how it is tied to bureaucracy. The English thinker and writer Theodore Dalrymple made this thought-provoking remark:

So in such a circumstance, the use of personal influence or a bribe – however negative it is - gives the people a sense of self-respect and control over the situation.

And of course it would be much better that both this all-embracing bureaucracy and corruption didn't exist, so it is good to note people's increasing demands for justice and the eradication of corruption. But until that day it gives Russian people a chance of having autonomy about their lives and choices.

Of course there exists organized crime in Russia. Just like it does everywhere else. And though the real Russian mafia is still one of the world's most powerful criminal organisations (we guess, due to a lack of personal experience, and frankly how would you rank these organisations anyway) your chances of finding them on your path are probably nonexistent.

Part of this is stereotype has to do with Hollywood movies or Western tv series in which Russians are still typically cast as "the villain" and hearing a fake Russian accent is bound to elicit a sense of criminality. Just take a look at some movies and series that came out in the past years: "Red Sparrow", "Anna" and the really masterful "Killing Eve" all cater to this movie cliché.

While in fact it is the other way around and Russia could just as well be called a "police state" with the country having the largest amount of police officers per capita, making them the third largest police force in the world.

This means that Russia may actually be safer than most western countries.

What is it with people and these bear stories? Of course there are no bears on the street. Only in the zoo or the circus you can find them outside of the wild. Maybe in some extremely remote Siberian village but even that would be an oddity.


That said, there are certain bear-owning folk who like to show of their strange pets but these people are probably in it for attention anyways. If you really want to see some Russian bears, your best bet is to book a trip to Kamchatka!

With a rich culture comes an abundance of folklore, age-old beliefs and superstitions, many from pagan times or the nomadic tribes populating large swathes of the biggest country in the world. Through these stories magic and superstition wound its way into the everyday life blending with the traditional Orthodox Christian customs and beliefs of the day.

Plenty of these superstitions still survive to this day and may be considered a part of the Russian heritage but as with most things some people are very superstitious while others are not, and everything depends on their personality, surrounding and level of education.

While most Russians today don't believe in them it still is a force of habit or just some custom. So be prepared to:

- Give only an odd number of flowers (except for on funerals when you are expected to bring an even number)
- Have to sit down inside the house before leaving on a trip to ensure a good journey
- Not whistling indoors
- …

Of course people have different superstitions and the more you communicate with them, the more you understand. And isn't that the best part of it, understanding this interesting culture without all these biases we were brought up with?