Russia: The good, the bad, the ugly

THE good, the bad, the ugly … a perfect way to sum up Russia.

Since landing in Moscow on Sunday afternoon, it has been yet another rollercoaster visit.

It is probably impossible for anyone to fully understand this huge country.

The people, when you get into their homes and share a couple of vodkas, are warm, welcoming and friendly. Family values are very high, something that has eroded back home during the past 20 years.

But then Russia is stuck in a time warp. The great traditions of a bygone age are still going strong – yet the remnants of 70-plus years of communism is all too apparent.

The painstaking bureaucracy over here would drive any sane person wild.

As a foreigner, alien, Westerner, whatever they call me here, I have to register with every local police authority of the areas I visit.

I was required to fill a form at a post office the other day where I had to supply my name, home address, passport number and the address where I am staying.

This information had already been supplied to the Russian Embassy in London and the immigration authorities upon arrival in Moscow.

But, hey, let’s give the information a third time … and also wait at a post office counter for 70 minutes while some stern-looking headmistress type studied my details. Quite why it took more than two minutes is beyond me.

However, what amazed me more than anything, was there were about six or seven people behind me in the queue who also had to wait. The poor lady who just popped out to buy a stamp must have been spitting feathers.

Yet she was not. In fact, everyone in the queue just accept this as part of life … even if buying a stamp over here can sometimes take longer than getting a loaf of bread in Germany in the early 1930s.

Russia is however evolving. There is no doubt about that. A new generation will take the country forward and, hopefully, seize power from backward-looking politicians more interested in lining their own pockets than to helping improve the lives of millions of hard-working Russians.

But, hopefully, the strong family values that make up the foundations of this amazing country must not be sacrificed.

That is what I love about Russia … and perhaps one day our own country will rediscover this too.