[doombolt]

I'm not planning to leave Russia just yet, due to being a Russian nationalist with a family, but I can sure answer any questions. The trend (or rather, reversal of previous trend) surely exists.

Upd: HN, the place where you get downvotes by agreeing to answer some questions. That's why I stopped coming.

[michaelscott]

From your insider's perspective, what's the probable cause/s for this happening? I'm guessing it's because there are better opportunities for a person's career in nearby Europe? And if there is stagnation in job development, is it because of the government's running of the country or are there other factors at play?

[doombolt]

The atmosphere is totally unhealthy, wages stagnate or fall for most of workers, and there is no optimism for the future.

In some areas Russia still becomes a better place to live, but if you compare it to Europe proper it still lacks in so many ways and the gap is not closing anytime soon, if not getting wider.

And the only news which come is about new restrictions on public life and political free speech.

As my colleague said to me 5 years back, "all of my canaries are now dead"

[skilled]

This might be unrelated (slightly), but how is Russia coping with things like LGBT?

And how has the 'work life' changed in the last 20 years? Basically, since the Internet became a thing. Can you tell a distinct difference?

[doombolt]

I don't really know any LGBT in person so it's hard to say. I think nobody will bother you if you stay clandestine. I guess the public opinion in this area is shitty but it is universal quality of public opinion in Russia.

I was on internet before my first job so ot is hard to say. It's a mixed bag. There are jobs which are bureaucratic hell (especially in large Soviet-survivor companies outside large cities), there are jobs which pay peanuts and productivity is non-existent (government sector), but then there's modern economy with nice offices, passable atmosphere and fine work-life balance. If you're not in IT and not splurging on natural resources wealth somehow, the pay is low.

[iaml]

On the first part, they don't. It's pretty common to hate on any kind of lgbt even amongst more educated slices of population like it people.

[EugeneOZ]

It is a real risk for your life to be "open gay" in Russia. Sometimes your father can kill you just to "wash out the shame" from the family. Sometimes government can take back adopted child if parents are gay. Russia is a wild country in a lot of aspects, and this one is the most wild.

[ohaideredevs]

1. What makes you stay? 2. Were you one of the people who gave Putya credit for fighting corruption and dreamed that he would invest in small business and education, but then those hopes and dreams were crushed?

[doombolt]

1. I have a family and I enjoy living in a place where Russian is spoken primarily and Russian culture is dominant.

2. Maybe I was like that before 2008 or so. Didn't make a difference either way.

[danmaz74]

"... nationalist" sounds to me like somebody who wants to impose the power of their nation on other nations. I suppose that's why you got downvoted (I didn't).

[nine_k]

A nationalist is someone who holds the well-being of their nation as a high-priority thing. This does not necessarily make a nationalist an enemy of other nations: nationalists are usually preoccupied with the well-being of their own nation, and just want other nations peacefully mind their business.

This is how a nationalist can strongly oppose a nation's current government, when the government is not caring for the nation's prosperity (in the nationalist's eyes).

Most liberation movements across the world were and are openly nationalist.

[nicwilson]

> Upd: HN, the place where you get downvotes by agreeing to answer some questions. That's why I stopped coming.

That may be because you wrote Russian nationalist (a person with strong patriotic feelings), when you possibly meant Russian national (a citizen of a particular country).

[dsfyu404ed]

>Upd: HN, the place where you get downvotes by agreeing to answer some questions. That's why I stopped coming.

I think you might have meant "Russian national" instead of "Russian nationalist". Calling ones self a nationalist around here is highly unpopular because that term is loaded with negative connotations for left leaning upper middle class Americans that mostly make up HN. You say "nationalist" and people think of someone that stands for everything that's the opposite of they do and then they down-vote.

[wolfgke]

To me, as a German, doombolt calling himself a Russian nationalist is no signal for downvoting, but rather a signal that the answers that he will give could be from a pro-Russian perspective - so only ask if you are sufficiently open-minded to hear answers that might change your mind or are outside your echo chamber.