A year abroad in Russia: Safety and Security

Safety and Security

The royal palace at Pushkin

Russia has a reputation for being unsafe and rife with crime; there are lots of horror stories around. In fact, the most common type of crime encountered is pickpocketing; personal attacks and sexual crime seem to happen much more rarely than they do here. It is true that you have to be careful and alert, but a lot of this comes down to common sense. Here are some general guidelines:

Try not to stand out as a foreigner. There is a general assumption that Western foreigners are wealthy and if you speak English loudly in public places, especially tourist areas in Moscow and St Petersburg, you will be a potential target for pickpockets; these are often Gypsy children who take on individual foreigners in groups and are virtually impossible to shake off. Watch out for groups of these children and try not to let them know you're foreign. Passers by do not tend to intervene in these incidents, even the men in army uniform.

Not standing out as a foreigner can involve dressing in a Russian way (this is particularly easy in the winter when everyone is in long coats, hats etc.), keeping your camera in your bag rather than carrying it openly, and not drawing attention to yourself. Russians do not tend to smile on the metro or in the street; if you smile people often think this is odd, that you are laughing at them, or quite simply that you are mad. Carrying your books etc. in a plastic carrier bag will also help you to fit in.

This may all sound rather unnecessary but aside from all practical considerations about not appearing to be a rich Western foreigner, you will feel safer if you're not constantly drawing attention to yourself, especially if you are alone. It's also good for your Russian; people will ask you for directions and sometimes babushkas will chat to you on the tram if they think you know what you're doing.
As anywhere, try not to walk home on your own late at night. Courtyards and staircases can be badly lit, so even if nothing actually happens it can be a frightening experience. Only flag down an unofficial taxi if you're with someone, and preferably only if at least one of you is male. Always agree on a price before you get into the car. If you're out late at night, make sure someone knows where you are if at all possible.

Be especially careful of your possessions on public transport; often people are crowded very tightly and it is easy for pickpockets to operate. Don't carry valuables in outside pockets and watch your handbag. Pickpockets often slash bags with a knife in order to get at their contents, so keep your eyes open for this.

If you ever have to carry large amounts of cash, a money belt worn under clothes is a good idea. You'll feel safer too. Carry your money in different places, not all in one purse or wallet. Don't leave your passport and money in a hotel room, and be aware of security issues if you're living in a student hostel.

It is a legal requirement to carry official identification with you at all times, but safer to carry a photocopy of your passport and visa than the original documents.

See below for how to deal with the police.

Despite all of that, there's no need to worry too much if you act sensibly. Just be aware of what is happening around you, and try not to draw unnecessary attention to yourself in public places. Here are some comments and pieces of advice from students:

'In Russia I know of a few people who were hassled by locals and by the police, but I never had any problems. I never found that I really stood out as a foreigner.'
Nathan Lechler

'I felt safer than in England. One drunken run-in with four policeman at 3am. Their opening line was "where are the drugs?". "What drugs?" (cue two guys, rolling my sleeves up, emptying my bag, going through my pockets, wallet). Got away with it and luckily didn't lose any money/cards etc.'
Andy Schofield

'I always felt quite safe, though you do need to have you wits about you more than in England and be sensible.'
Alyson Tapp

'I had no problems although a few of my friends had cameras/wallets stolen. Just be aware of people around you at all times especially in busy streets and in the metro. Don't talk English too loudly and attract attention to yourselves and don't carry all your things around together in one wallet. Body belts are a good idea if extremely annoying.'
Anna Hart

'As long as people don't do anything obviously silly, I didn't get the impression that [Moscow is] any more dangerous than any other big European city.'
Matthew Stankiewicz

'Certainly as a girl, I did not feel threatened by the police. Obviously not sensible to wander round alone late at night, and get into cars with strangers, which one does there as a matter of course.'
Bridget Farrell

'Got mugged in Moscow, which was pretty unpleasant, especially as area was meant to be relatively safe, but I was walking home on my own from the tube at midnight. Shouting in bad Russian to the bloke about his lack of morals sent him packing pretty quick (unfortunately with all my money)'
'My handbag was stolen in St Petersburg. Rather than being frightening, this was a logistical nightmare. Visa, passport and all credit cards (I was about to leave for Moscow), then a visa issued in Moscow but stolen in St P meant that it took me six weeks to get a visa even to leave the country.'
'It was very expensive, and the moral is, that it is better to be stopped by the police and fined for only having a copy of your passport than to lose your passport.'
Isobel Walsh

'It's safe unless you're young and male, in which case you'll be stopped by the police at some point.'
Carrie Devitt

Dealing with the police

One of the most difficult things to get used to in Russia is that the police are often either corrupt, unhelpful or both. They're likely to stop you and check your documents for absolutely no discernible reason. This is why you must carry a copy of your passport and visa with you at all times. If you are caught without documents they can arrest you and hold you at the police station for a few hours, although in practice this is unlikely and they'll often just ask you for money.

You will generally only be stopped if you draw attention to yourself in some way; the police tend to leave obvious Western foreigners alone if they're not causing any trouble. They often stop people who look as if they could be Chechens and check their papers. If you're stopped and asked to show your papers (документы), just do what they say and be polite. Arguing with the police is not advisable; don't give them any excuse to arrest you. If you are arrested for some reason, they will let you call someone to help.

If you have to report a crime to the police, they will want a written statement and they will provide an English-speaking interpreter, although you will probably have to wait a while. In principle you're supposed to go to the correct police station for the area in which the incident took place, but in practice they will take statements anywhere; we went to the transport police to report a mugging because nobody seemed to know where we could find any other police station. If you have things stolen, you'll need a statement from the police to claim on your insurance and they are generally very cooperative about this.