RUSSIA

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world by area, and the largest country in Europe (European Russia) and the largest country in Asia (Siberia), extending across eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country. The country's capital as well as its largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city and cultural capital. Other major cities in the country include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk, Ufa,  Samara,and Volgograd.

Personal memories

I lived in Volgograd, Russia, for eighteen years. My family and I had a very good life there until I had to leave suddenly because of family circumstances beyond my control.

Volgograd is an industrial city. In the early 2000s, I found it very safe: you could walk around at night without problems, and living costs were low. The Russians I met could seem rather reserved at first, but once you got to know them, they were very kind.

From around the 2010s, I felt that crime was increasing and that the old mentality of mafia influence and corruption was gradually returning. Corruption seemed to enter almost every transaction whenever we wanted something.

Purchases were often made in cash. At times, I carried as much as US$50,000 to buy a house, a car or other items, because sellers wanted to keep bank transactions to a minimum.

I still have friends there, but the situation has made communication impossible for me. I see a madman leading them into disaster. Similar problems can exist in France, but in my experience not on that scale. Denunciation has become commonplace, and I feel that people have forgotten the Stalin era, when their parents and grandparents were killed. The younger generation does not seem to realise what that history means.

I will continue these accounts in future articles.