What Foreigners NEED TO KNOW Before Dating Russian Women

That particular saying rings true for a man interested in dating a Russian woman.

If a man wants to go to Russia and find a woman to marry, he’s going to have to stock up on information otherwise his journey at looking at Russian women for marriage will invariably end in failure.

Western men may not be the greatest resources of knowledge when it comes to Russian culture, especially older men whose perceptions of the country may still be colored by their experiences of growing up during the Cold War.

But knowledge is important for a western man who wants to date a Russian woman.

While Russian women dating foreigners is not unheard of, it’s likely that those foreigners know at least a few tidbits about the women in Russia and the country’s culture, not to mention the climate.

The weather

The Arctic circle refers to countries that border the Arctic ocean. Russia is one of those countries and a significant portion of its coastline is right on the Arctic. But it’s not just those coastlines that get cold.

Russia as a whole can be pretty cold.

In fact, being cold is part of its identity, at least to outsiders.

Russian winters are particularly infamous, though it should be noted that Russian winters contributed significantly to protecting and repelling foreign invasions on at least two occasions.

Because the temperatures in the country can drop, any foreign guy who is dating a Russian woman should remember to pack essentials like cold-weather gear.

What the women want

Russians are both like and unlike their western counterparts.

They’re similar in the sense that all women who want romantic partners have a certain set of standards that they set for their potential partners.

They’re dissimilar in the sense that their standards are going to be somewhat different than those of women from the west.

So a guy who wants a Russian partner is going to have to familiarize himself with what the women of Russia want if he’s going to make himself into what they want.

• Be as manly as possible. In western countries, the women have the expectation of being full and equal in the relationship, which means that they expect to have equal input in the decision making process.

  But things are slightly different in Russia. Men are expected to take charge and take the lead, so a foreign man who wants to succeed at dating in Russia is going to have to be assertive. If a guy wants to know how to please a Russian woman, the first step is to do away with indecisiveness.

• Be confident. It’s not just assertiveness that a Russian woman is going to consider masculine. Confidence also counts. A man who is sure of himself is the type of guy that a Russian woman is going to be with.

  Basically, if he makes a decision he has to be ostensibly sure of it and not second-guess himself.

• It would also be helpful to be both good-looking and financially successful, since those are ideal traits in a male mate not just in Russia but pretty much everywhere.

What to expect when dating

Relationships in the west generally follow a sequence - two people meet, they go out on dates, they meet each other’s parents, they move in together, and then they get married and all that jazz.

Relationships in Russia are different, especially if the man in question is foreign. What happens is that the couple meets, usually on the internet, then they meet in real life.

From there, things can start to move pretty fast.

They meet in real life, go on one date, and then he meets her family, they become engaged. After that, he can either fly back alone and get his family used to the idea of a foreign bride while working on whatever paperwork she might need to migrate, or he can fly back with her in tow and then immediately start their lives together.

So any guy who wants to date a Russian woman should be aware that dating them comes with a different type of timeframe than he may be expecting.

How to date

Another thing foreign guys are going to need to know before they start dating around in Russia is how to act when on a date.

• Be a gentleman. Remember, men are supposed to masculine and part of that is being a gentleman.
• Don’t show up empty-handed. Men usually present women with a trinket or so when they’re dating them.

  Foreign guys should make it a point to come to a date with some small gifts like chocolates or a bouquet of flowers. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, but there should be something.

• Respect tradition.

  Some guys like to do something crazy for a date, like skydiving. That’s definitely completely off the table, but the basics should be employed. Dinner and maybe a show are fine. Maybe some coffee and a nice, long walk.

• A man who knows a thing or two about Russia and its culture is going to be well regarded by the women, as will a man who speaks the language.

  Foreign men should brush up on their Russian so they can show off their knowledge in the local language.

Dating is hard - that’s one of those things that serve as a universal truth. Dating women from a different country is even harder. But coming prepared with knowledge makes dating a lot easier.

A Russian woman is always going to be different from a western woman.

Being raised in a different culture and shaped by a different society with different mores is going to do that.

But that doesn’t mean that they won’t fall for a foreign man with a completely different system of values than them.

Foreigners who want to be with Russian women would be well served by stocking up on information if they are serious about their romantic pursuits.