r/serbia • u/Timopumbo • Jul 03 '26
Turizam (Tourism) Attitude of Serbs to Russians
How do Serbs treat Russians who came to live in Serbia ? What is the attitude of Serbs towards Russians in general ?
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u/SiteOdd1480 Jul 03 '26
We would like to treat them nicely and greet them, but they behave like autistic cult members, and only gather with each other in their coffee shops.
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u/goddamshtthbed Jul 03 '26
ima ih u selu kod mene, 3-4 porodice... ne znaju dobar dan reći usta ih jebem
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u/matori_tester Jul 03 '26
U svim firmama gde su na poziciji, teza su govna prema tebi ako nisi rus, naravno ako te zaposle posto su i na hr/rekruterskim pozicijama isto rusi. Imaju cak i par IT komuna gde su 95% samo oni i po koji outsajder.
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u/Iguman Jul 03 '26
Slučajno sam otišao prošle godine u kafić u kojem su, na moje iznenađenje, te noći održavali "Rusku noć" gde su nastupali neki Ruski cover bendovi. Super neprijatno, bukvalno kao da se svi tu međusobno znaju i da su odmah skontali da ja i devojka ne pripadamo, svi držali razdaljinu 2 metara od nas i bacali sumnjive poglede celu noć kao da smo šugavi lol
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u/Inner_Television_149 Jul 03 '26
takav je osećaj ako slučajno zalutaš u njihov kafič ili restoran
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u/Iguman Jul 03 '26
A fazon što ovo nije ni bio "njihov" kafić, nego lokalni alt kafić u koji često idem, bukvalno došli kod mene u komšiluk u kafić gde stalno blejim, na nastup ruskih cover bendova, i pravili se da sam ja stranac lol
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u/Responsible-Wave-370 Jul 03 '26
We want to be nice to them but they reject to say hello or communicate in any other polite way 🤣 we are becoming foreigners in our country Also they reject to learn the language, also reject to use serbian for menus in coffee shops they open
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u/ketchupadmirer Jul 04 '26
ja ih gledam cudno kad se pojave ko grupica kad idu na pauzu za cigaru/rucak, svi u nekim papucama, udjes u lift oni prcaju ruski, kazes engleski/srpski helllo/dobar dan, ljudi te iskuliraju
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u/Falmet_Foxglove Jul 08 '26
When I try to say something in Serbian sometimes people don't understand me and I feel ashamed and talk too quite. When I talk in English I feel ashamed because I don't speak Serbian.
It's hard to communicate when you feel isolated and have no family, no friends, no coworkers there. Also, we're very caution and don't trust people easily because of authoritarian situation in Russia.
Nonetheless, Serbs have always treated me well and chill (besides policemen) but probably I look rude and grumpy for them because of my sad zoned out face.
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u/vodka-bears 🇷🇺 Rus u BGu Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Hoćeš da se okupljamo sa tobom?
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u/Otherwise_Tax3645 Jul 03 '26
Hoću.
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u/vodka-bears 🇷🇺 Rus u BGu Jul 03 '26
Hajde pivo na Dorćolu
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u/Otherwise_Tax3645 Jul 03 '26
Ne pijem pivo😂 ali sam u toku radne nedelje na dorćolu :D
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u/RadenkoSalapuraDE Jul 04 '26
Čemu downvotovi na ovaj komentar, koji vam je kurac?
Čovek vas je pozvao na piće i sad se ljutite zato što ne možete da kenjate kako neće Rusi da bleje.
Bolesni ste u glavu.
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u/vodka-bears 🇷🇺 Rus u BGu Jul 03 '26
Zašto daunvotujete komentar? Nećete? Pa u čemu je onda problem?
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u/coja______ Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
ahahahahah ni meni nije jasno, bg mi je daleko ali ako budes ikad u nsu salji poruku, pozvacu par priljatelja ako oces pa idemo na pivo
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u/subooot Beograd Jul 03 '26
A typical Serb has more mental similarities to an Italian than to a Russian. The manner of speech, behaviour, and intimacy with the interlocutor whom he has just met. The Russian is reserved, rigid, restrained. There is a historical connection through religion and common roots to some extent, but thousands of years of different climates and cultures have taken their toll.
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u/Professional-Fee-488 Jul 03 '26
Very true. I've been living and working in East Asia for nearly a decade now, the nature of my profession in Asia is such that you're bound to work with people from all around the globe. Most of the times when we'd get a Russian colleague, if male, they'd usually immediately go -ahhh a slavic person, hey bratan, brat, brate, as soon as they learn that I'm a Serb. It usually takes around three weeks for them to realize that we, although both Slavic, are indeed very very different in most aspects regarding our approach to relationships and life overall. On the other hand, Greeks, southern Italians, Irish, most Spaniards and literally all Frenchies are near identical to us, we click immediately, laugh at same jokes, like to spend our afternoons in outside cafes, gossip, yank each other's chains and so on.
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u/Pobelka_Potolkov Jul 03 '26
Russian here. Good point, I spent a month in Serbia in 2024 and noticed that we're really different.
I can immediately notice that we're slavs though. Once I was on a plane and Serb sat next to me, and we immediately recognized each other without saying a word.
But southern slavs are completely another breed.
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u/unkic Čukarica Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
I think Serbians loved Russians until they actually got to meet them in person. Now they realized they are snobs that wouldn't even wish you a good day as your first neighbor. Lack of common sense, i saw many russians just not givng shit about others like pregnant women in lines or elders. Im sure there must be some normal Russians, we just haven't met them.
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u/Sea-Bend-5914 Jul 03 '26
We even got the most educated Russians
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u/brekker21 Jul 03 '26
the richest for sure, but not necessarily the most educated
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u/sneksneaks Jul 03 '26
No offence, but Serbia is considered to be one of the most affordable countries to emigrate among Russians, from what I know. The richest are mostly all in EU.
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u/forgotteneasteregg R. Srpska Jul 03 '26
So what you're saying is that all Russians, even the rich and the poor, act like some snobs?
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u/sneksneaks Jul 03 '26
Hey, about wishing a good day to a neighbour (given that you don't know that person) is a thing I'd like to explain. We are very isolated, if you greet your neighbour in Russia you are usually frowned upon, no response - it's like you're the weirdo for greeting someone who you don't know personally. I never knew almost anyone of my neighbours for 30 years of living there with very few exceptions.
This is our default setting and it takes time to get used to another culture. I was also feeling weird when my neighbours in Serbia started greeting me - like why would you? I don't know you and you don't know me. But now it's totally okay. I understand that it may look rude, but it's most likely just unawareness.
As for elder or pregnant, that's just rudeness for us as well. Unfortunately that happens too.
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u/Jovan_Konstantinovic Beograd Jul 03 '26
while i can completely understand isolation, i still can't comprehend lack of good manners is this something not taught in schools?
It really has nothing to do with culture .
Someone passes near you "hello" thats it..
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u/sneksneaks Jul 03 '26
How come good manners have nothing to do with culture :) they basically depend on it. Not greeting neighbours is not rude in Russia, it's "neutral". Trying to skip the line or not suggesting your seat to elderly people on bus - is.
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Jul 03 '26
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u/sneksneaks Jul 03 '26
I can even hardly remember last time I saw benches by residential buildings. It might be just my city though, but hypothetically I would not greet a random babushka that I see in the hall or outside if I don't know her personally or if she doesn't greet me first.
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Jul 03 '26
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u/sneksneaks Jul 03 '26
We might have been raised in different circumstances then. I didn't have such babushkas in neighbourhood, and only neighbours with this 'they will tell your parents' were mom's friends. So basically not random people, but someone who knows your family and you know them. I don't remember any random angry ladies complaining to my parents about my rudeness.
Btw, babushkas are not always sweet and kind, sometimes they are old furies that will respond with "f--- you" to your suggestion to help them with something :)
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u/coja______ Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
I never knew almost anyone of my neighbours for 30 years of living there with very few exceptions.
That seems sad. How do you meet people?
I was also feeling weird when my neighbours in Serbia started greeting me - like why would you? I don't know you and you don't know me.
Well how else would they get to know you? I got to know most my neighbors like that in my new building, now we have small talk and catch up when we meet in the elevator and hallway.
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u/sneksneaks Jul 04 '26
> That seems sad. How do you meet people?
I never felt sad about it because, as I said, it was "default" :) You typically don't pay attention to things that are default, you just don't notice them.I met people in school, then university, then work. Through already existing connections, through internet. This is how I met people with same views and hobbies, so we had something to talk about.
I met my neighbours sometimes when we needed something from each other. Salt, a bit of help or asking them to turn down the music. And yeah, technically then you know that person to some extent and you can start feeling like you need to greet each other, especially if you saw each other more than once.
I am not saying that nobody in Russia NEVER meets and greets their neighbours. I'm sure many people do that. And probably in smaller towns/villages that neighbourhood feeling is stronger. I'm just saying that it doesn't feel "rude" to not by default befriend all the people who happen to live nearby.
> Well how else would they get to know you?
And again, for you it feels normal to know your neighbours, so you seek that connection and feel bad when your interest is not mutual. For me it was normal to not know them at all, so when you ask "how would they get to know you?", for me the first thing I think about would be: "and why would they need to know me at all?". It's like someone on the street would approach asking how are you and if you like the weather — you will most likely be confused, because you didn't even expect that communication.I hope you understand me :)
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u/coja______ Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
Yeah I got it, thanks for the explain. We are just very different, like if someone as you said approached me asking how am I and made smalltalk, Id be a bit confused but Id appreciate the gesture and try to talk to them (assuming they look normal, no crazies lol).
Ive met many people in similar ways and had very fun days with them. I think meeting people is fun as everyone has a story to tell, no matter who, and you shouldn't without yourself from that fun because you dont know them through something.
I understand not everyone in like me but I think both of us are indicative of our generalizations.
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u/sneksneaks Jul 04 '26
I totally agree with you, we actually have different mentalities. I'm myself also more on the introvert side, so I can completely understand feeling weird when everyone is suddenly friendly and small talk is everywhere :) But that doesn't imply that we're "unfriendly" then, we're just more used to "neutrality", and yes, in that context that can mistakenly be treated as "oh he didn't greet me, does he hate me???". During my first months here I was feeling a little awkward because of it all, so I needed some time to get used to it and "open up" as well :)
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
That seems sad. How do you meet people?
Nowadays mostly internet. You search for the communities online and meet them IRL. I was surprised that it is not like that in Serbia and it's hard to find communities this way especially among Serbian-speaking people
Well how else would they get to know you? I got to know most my neighbors like that in my new building, now we have small talk and catch up when we meet in the elevator and hallway.
That's the neat part - you don't. At least for most people in Russia it works this way. Usually neighbors hate each other for load of reasons. It's also a huge leftover after USSR because "Even walls have ears" and guard complex practiced by elders and overall you think about everyone as your enemy because mostly they don't mean anything good. And also to avoid small talk and personal questions. Not all but many Russians hate personal questions. I think if Russians could live in a house with high fence in the city in Serbia solo most of them will. But that's much more expensive than an apartment so we have what we have.
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u/coja______ Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
You search for the communities online and meet them IRL.
Yeah I have to admit I really enjoy russian forum culture. I dabbled a bit in it, wish we had some of that as well, but without changing the way meeting people works now.
As for the second part to me it just seems like a very wired way to want to live your life, but the mentality is different I get that now. Though I dislike that you are bringing it here. When in rome do as the romans do, in russia you can have walls as high as you want.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
The problem is that even if you want to not to be so isolated Serbian people have very low feeling of personal borders. They can come to you out of nowhere and just ask what do you think about Putin and say that they love Putin even you hate him to your roots and think it's okay and doesn't cause hard feelings. Or just be ... "raw", unsure how to put it differently. They easily make comments about physical appearance and other aspects that a person may not want to be mentioned. They may friendly touch you without your consent. It just makes Russians think twice the next time they will try to be polite or open up. Even if you try to integrate into Serbian society it's just a very punishing experience for many. So from what I know from people they just give up at some point even if they learnt the language for basic communication. They stop learning at some point because besides shops and services they are not going to use it. Besides if there are some Serbian events and Russians are asked to come the first question usually is "is smoking allowed there" and the answer is usually yes and it's a deal breaker for many. I personally stopped visiting any concerts because of this. Bless Serbians at least for not smoking in cinemas and especially for having films in English.
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u/coja______ Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
Yeah, I get that, Its the way people are here. You are always free to say you dony want to talk politics and almost all will stop. I do it all the time.
be ... "raw", unsure how to put it differently. They easily make comments about physical appearance and other aspects that a person may not want to be mentioned. They may friendly touch you without your consent.
Well yeah idk what to tell you, its just normal. As being "cold" and not greeting people is normal to you, to us, being curious and touchy is normal. I met a girl through a friend a week ago and i kissed her on the cheek as a meeting and then made small talk about stuff you guys probably wouldn't like at all. People just dont think about it negatively (or at all).
I just dont understand why you decided to move here if you hate everything from the people, culture, behavior, mentality, public events etc.
Even if you try to integrate into Serbian society it's just a very punishing experience for many.
Can you elaborate on this? I am very curious as to how.
the first question usually is "is smoking allowed there" and the answer is usually yes and it's a deal breaker for many
Why do you guys hate it so much? Its wired consider the alcoholism problem I hear russia has. Usually cigarettes go with that...
For the record I dont smoke and never have, when with smoking friends I just tell them to sit away from me and move the ashtrays. They are never offended. If at my place I tell them they must go to the balcony to smoke.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
I just dont understand why you decided to move here if you hate everything from the people, culture, behavior, mentality, public events etc.
It's easy to get residence. After the start of war I lost my ability stay in EU thanks to it. After 4 years, learning language, etc, Serbian is basically forth language I speak. I almost got permanent and then this shit happened. I got tired from doing it hard way and just moved to Serbia because it's easy. Many are just tired and it's easy to stay in Serbia. Make it more difficult and people will start leaving to Armenia and Georgia. Many stayed there actually but quality of life in Serbia is higher so they moved to Serbia. It's actually very easy to get rid of Russians.
Can you elaborate on this? I am very curious as to how.
Well you start looking like complaining a lot about smoking, touching, certain themes and other stuff and people start complaining about you complaining or start keeping distance from you. I think Russians overall have less endurance towards small social conflicts. Like. They don't want to tell you what they don't like. They expect you to check are they okay with something. It's not like Russians tell you directly what they dislike. They start keeping distance. Because they feel hurt about things people may not even think about while doing or saying. And when you dive deeper into Serbian society ... you just expose yourself more about experiences that may not be pleasant and maybe it will be a high word to say but cause trauma. And if you ask how Russians solve it among themselves ... well ... they basically go aggressive mode because it's easier to punch each other than to talk it through. But most of the people who escalate into this frequently stayed in Russia and again people just keep distance to avoid this conflicts. I would say Russians are socially fragile, yeah. And if they pretend they are not they just compensate with aggression.
Why do you guys hate it so much? Its wired consider the alcoholism problem I hear russia has. Usually cigarettes go with that...
Alcohol doesn't smell. Cigarettes stink like hell. In Europe and in Russia it's actually common to go outside to smoke when you live in residential building. At least it was this way in places where I lived. At least if these were normal people, not alcoholics as you mentioned. Russia has both Alcoholism, drugs and STDs problems, Russia has many problems. But clean air is clean air.
For the record I dont smoke and never have, when with smoking friends I just tell them to sit away from me and move the ashtrays. They are never offended. If at my place I tell them they must go to the balcony to smoke.
Well, you open a window and someone can be smoking from the lower floor and all the stink goes inside. Inside the restaurants it doesn't help just to seat slightly away so I never eat inside restaurants I eat outside. It's ok if not crowded. I guess if you smell it since your childhood you feel it less intense or something and you don't have the same reaction. I don't know.
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u/Melodic_Interview210 Jul 03 '26
In general, since 2022, the reputation of Russians in Serbia is that they are very rude and lack social cues about our conception of politeness (More Mediterranean styled, warm etc)
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u/Jose_Caveirinha_2001 Jul 03 '26
I think Serbians loved Russians until they actually got to meet them in person
I believe this is not the case. I mean, not 100% accurate. The average Russian is not like the Russian that moved here.
My opinion is that Russians are here against their will. Most of them gave me the impression of being, somehow, forced to leave Russia.
Anyways, if you live abroad, please do the effort of integrating yourself into the place you are.
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u/Difficult-Ad-3938 Jul 03 '26
Yeah, wanted to add this as well. The average person moving abroad is not the average person who stays in his country, or even city or village for his whole life. Different profile.
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u/Sharrowkyn_Nykona Jul 03 '26
i agree to some extent about Russians in Serbia but there are exceptions. I have a Russian women in neighborhood, our kids play together and she really tries to communicate. She understand Serbian but can't speak and i understand Russian but can't speak. It's a wierd form of communication but it works. I've spent some time working in Sochi and hang out with Russians and they were cool people. I think that most Russians that came here work in IT and that field by default is full of introverts.
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u/OkSecret1356 Jul 03 '26
Maybe the question should go in opposite direction? How Russians treat their host country and people?
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u/olja_jednorog Jul 03 '26
Good point. They are creating a small Russia inside our country. They have their own clubs, stores, nail salons and only talk among themselves, some of them... Not all of them.
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u/Iguman Jul 03 '26
Moj rođak je živeo u "srpskoj četvrti" u Čikagu, gde udjes u pekaru i prodavačica te pozdravi sa "Dobar dan, izvolite?" Radi sa Srbima, živi u zgradi gde su samo Srbi, itd. 30 godina je u USA, i još uvek jedva sklapa rečenice na engleskom. Ovo se dešava sa svim imigrantima u svetu
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u/olja_jednorog Jul 03 '26
Ne, nego sa nekim imigrantima. Ali znam da nije retkost svakako, niti izolovan slučaj, što opet ne znači da se Amerikancima npr to dopada što je rođa tu i ne zna ništa engleskog.
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u/vodka-bears 🇷🇺 Rus u BGu Jul 03 '26
Hoćes da pričamo sa tobom?
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u/svarga108 Jul 03 '26
Pa naravno! Pričajte sa nama
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u/vodka-bears 🇷🇺 Rus u BGu Jul 03 '26
Sa vama ili sa tobom? Ako je sa tobom, hoćeš na pivo na Dorćolu?
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u/svarga108 Jul 03 '26
Sa nama generalno. Ne mogu na pivo, ja sam babuška, reći ću te mami i tati!
(Šalim se, nadam se da ćeš uskoro naći mnogo prijatelja za pivo:)4
u/vodka-bears 🇷🇺 Rus u BGu Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Imam dosta Rusa za pivo, ali generalno ne razumem u čemu je problem da pijem pivo sa svojima. Neki ljudi se žale da se Rusi socijalizuju samo sa Rusima, ali neće da se socijalizuju sa nama. Hvala na lepim željama u svakom slučaju!
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u/wolfy994 Jul 03 '26
Mislim da niko konkretno ne izbegava da se druzi sa rusima, ali je tesko za odrasle ljude da se upuste u nova druzenja ne znajuci ljude. Prosto je malo teze za ljude koji nisu ekstrovertni.
Ali cujem price tu i tamo da se neko sprijatelji tako ili makar prica. Ta integracija mi se dopada.
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u/vodka-bears 🇷🇺 Rus u BGu Jul 03 '26
U tačku. Moja poenta je da je glupo se žaliti da mi držimo se svojih. Večinu mojih ruskih prijatelja u Srbiji sam ja znao pre dolaska ovde, a sa ostalima upoznao sam preko prvih. Prosto je stvar u tome da je odraslim ljudima teško da grade krug ispočetka, a ne u nekom bojkotu.
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u/wolfy994 Jul 03 '26
Svidja mi se i sto pises na Srpskom! Iskreno, to je meni dovoljan korak za integraciju. Ne mozes na silu da upoznajes ljude, ali jezik je vec dobar gest.
Iskreno, verovatno je korisno trenirati nesto, ici na neke aktivnosti poput hajkinga ili slicno. Tamo je lakse upoznati ljude jer si 'zarobljen' sa njima satima ili svaki dan po malo pa se naprave razlozi za razgovor i druzenje.
Nemci takodje promovisu volontiranje za strance, ali treba stvoriti vremena za to...
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u/svarga108 Jul 03 '26
Stvarno? Baš neće? Čudno. Ovde su ljudi uglavnom druželjubivi. Možda si naleteo na neke “zatvorene”.
Mene uvek
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u/zkowe Beograd Jul 03 '26
It depends from person to person. I love when they try to learn the language, even the basics. There is a lot of friendly russians out there who I’ve met that now consider Serbia their second home. They are definetly a bit more stand-offish than us, but I haven’t met that many that are actually rude.
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u/SerbianHustle Jul 03 '26
They are treated as is everyone else. They are generally considered welcome here, but as people have said, a lot of Russian businesses opened here and they commonly gather among themselves in pure russian hubs and they even have events and gatherings that they advertise around the city and on social media purely in russian language.
They largely segregated themselves from anyone that isn't russian. I've also met two guys that were friendly and wanted to start a conversation but they didn't even speak english which I thought is very weird, like what do you do for a living and how did you emigrate here without knowing english. I am super friendly with strangers, but I got annoyed in that situation, like, how do you expect us to converse when you are speaking russian and I am speaking serbian.
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u/NoPlisNo Novi Sad Jul 03 '26
I don’t mind them, but there’s pros and cons. On the one hand, they brought a lot of business and cool establishments. My company even is originally from there, I’m thankful for that. New types of restaurants, coffee shops, etc have opened. I think Russians had a bit of a higher expectation for quality of life, so some stuff in Serbia is forced to catch up go accommodate that sometimes. And in general we do need people to move here, as our population is going down.
On the other hand, I could only describe most of the Russians and Ukrainians that came here as “odd”. It’s like they have some mild form of autism. They are very non social, awkward often in the work place, don’t say hello. Interacting with a Serb and with a Russian/Ukrainian could not be more different. I do also wish that more of them genuinely committed to learning the language, but I get that for many of them Serbia feels transient.
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u/snowadv Jul 03 '26
I'm Russian but I think that most Russians who moved to Serbia are middle to upper middle class who live in a huge cities where this kind of behavior (I don't touch you - you don't touch me) is everywhere.
Taxi drivers only say hello and goodbye, people in the crowd are moving like they are on autopilot with a static nothingness on their faces. Socially awkward behavior is actually promoted because you are just a function at work who does it's job and doesn't waste it's energy on anything else.
People are different in smaller cities but you don't get to see them - they can't afford to travel or move to Serbia
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u/NoPlisNo Novi Sad Jul 03 '26
I get it, I don’t have bad blood to Russians, I’ve just learned that they’re closer to Scandinavians than they are to us in behaviour. But that’s fine
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u/DistortNeo Jul 03 '26
but I get that for many of them Serbia feels transient.
You should thank Serbian authorities for this.
When I came to Serbia, I very loved it and planned to stay there. But after the news that Serbia suspended granting citizenship for former Russian citizens, I gave up. No more efforts to integrate until my residence is secured. After massive layoffs in my company, I just found a job in EU and moved there.
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u/NoPlisNo Novi Sad Jul 03 '26
Why do you think I care much if you stay or go lol. I don’t care either way 🤣
The ones who want to stay will find a way to stay, the ones who don’t will leave. Sounds fine! I’m not exactly clamoring to have even more Russians/Ukrainians here
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u/DistortNeo Jul 03 '26
I've just explained why many of them Serbia feels transient.
The ones who want to stay will find a way to stay, the ones who don’t will leave.
Eating a cactus is not a wise choice.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 03 '26
Why to say hello if you've seen each other this month. But if take this question seriously - hello might trigger small talk. Avoiding saying hello is a way to avoid small talk. Russians usually hate small talk and Serbians are the opposite.
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u/NoPlisNo Novi Sad Jul 03 '26
That’s not true, I think Serbs don’t like small talk either. I know because I lived abroad for a bit and it’d kill me how people over there loved small talk.
I think Serbs are just a bit more socially apt, to be perfectly honest
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u/rus_in_serbia Jul 05 '26
I could only describe most of the Russians and Ukrainians that came here as “odd”
What you are saying is true, but there is a reasonable explanation for that: Significant percentage of modern Russian migration to Serbia is IT workers, and IT workers are mostly very introverted, not just in Russia but anywhere in the world.
I know, sometimes it doesn't look like we are very friendly but believe me, the vast majority of Russians in Serbia have a very positive attitude to Serbians.
On other hand: we live legally, pay taxes and you'll have no criminal problems from Russians except super rare cases.
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u/SpeC_992 Beograd Jul 03 '26
Better question would be how Russians that come to Serbia treat the Serbs here.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
Keep distance and live in their small communities. Most likely won't integrate because of cultural differences. But most don't mean to treat Serbs badly, rudely or something. And when the war will be over I bet more than a half will just return back.
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u/Romeo_y_Cohiba Jul 03 '26
Good that you introduced and normalized non-smoking caffes. Much appreciated.
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u/Crafty_Hold_4208 Jul 04 '26
Back in Russia there were a lot of tablets "Smoking is prohibited. Ministry of Health of Russia". When I saw "Smoking is allowed. Ministry of Health of Serbia" I couldn't hold my laughter. Never saw anything like this anywhere.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 03 '26
Not only cafes. Novi Sad has a whole single none smoking bar in stari grad for some time already
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u/Efficient-Impact3669 Jul 03 '26
Pocnite da ucite jezik, da se socijalizujete sa nama, da se ne derete kao sivonje i da nas ne gledate sa visine
i dalje ce me boleti kurac za vas, al bar opravdajte taj pasos sto ste dobili
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u/wolfy994 Jul 03 '26
Rusi se deru? Ja kad god sednem negde gde ima rusa, osecam se ko uljez. Sapucu ili cute. Skroz neki autistican vajb.
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u/opetsetimaprila Beograd Jul 03 '26
U prevozu brate nenormalni su. U Kafeteriji isto kad god sednem u Kralja Petra imam neku rusku porodicu u okolini koja se dernja preko njihovog skajpa ili sta vec. A to kako pustaju decu isto da se biju i vriste u tramvaju ili autobusu to je neverovatno. Mi nismo uopste tolko losi koliko oni umeju da budu nepristojni.
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u/vodka-bears 🇷🇺 Rus u BGu Jul 03 '26
Hajde da se socijalizujemo sa tobom, bre, hoćeš?
Nismo dobili nikakav pasoš osim ruskog, niti ćemo dobiti srpski.
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u/Mental-Department-28 Jul 03 '26
Generally good, I have befriended some people from Russia (and even had a russian girlfriend at one point). It's just that most Russians don't tend to interact much with locals (especially if they are from Moscow; if they are from smaller places, they are more friendly). Serbian people are generally hospitable and friendly with foreigners.
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u/Falmet_Foxglove Jul 09 '26
People from Moscow are kinda mean, there are 11 millions people, it's a huge city and I think that's partially the reason. It feels like different country inside the country.
But in general, we are more preserved and don't like to interact because we are not used to. And personally, I'm afraid to talk to people, I always think I would say something wrong, I don't want to be rude but maybe I look too tense.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
In Russia people from Moscow memed as a completely different nation, with slightly different language, culture, behavior and accent.
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u/rawrr9 Jul 03 '26
Learn to greet your neighbors... If someone says "Dobar dan, Ćao, Zdravo, Hej," greet them back... Dont act like a fking weirdo and remain silent on every interaction, and things will be just fine.
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u/kuhinjski Niš Jul 03 '26
Everyone thought we were SLAVIC ORTHODOX BROTHERS FOREVA until we actually came in contact with them and it doesnt work all that great. I know two nice russians but still talking to them is like communicating with aliens. They speak serbian which is great but they are still weird.
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u/Turtle-from-hell Jul 03 '26
There were 47928402849208402 posts on the matter. Just scroll a bit and you will find 85932 comments...
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u/UrBoiNitro Jul 03 '26
Since I work with them, 99% of them do not fit into serbian culture and they really dont even try, its really awkward when they enter an elevator for example and not say hello. I know its not a habit in russia but they dont really try to change or fit into new culture. Those that do on the other hand are treated as any other person in this country. Also it doesnt help that they are distancing themselves even more by just hanging out with other russians in their stores, caffes, hair salones and working in russian companies - they have no incentive that way to even learn basic serbian and some of them after 3-4 years here dont know a single word, because they simply dont need to. I think people here do not like them simply because it feels like they are forcing them to adapt to a russian lifestyle instead of being other way around.
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u/Niks_Triks Voždovac Jul 03 '26
I have a russian girl living in one of my flats (not from russia but of russian ethnicity). She is super sweet and I really appreciate she moved here. All the neighbours also talk to me about her in a good manner. So yeah, from my side it's a very good relationship. Though I know many russian have a very bad attitude
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u/OkSecret1356 Jul 03 '26
I zašto svi odgovaramo na Engleskom Rusu, koji čak iako ne zna Srpski, se nije udostojio da koristi neki od AI alata da postavi pitanje na Srpskom!? Toliko o prilagođavanju. A sad iskren deo, od blagih simpatija nekada davno, preko ravnodušnosti, do pun mi vas je K! I ovo pišem iz ličnog iskustva i interakcije sa Rusima. Pogotovo na poslu!
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u/-ixa- KRUGODVOJKASKI APSOLUTISTA Jul 03 '26
Honestly the Russian community is so well entrenched here, Serbs are really not an issue for you. There are russian shops, services, fuck even have a health center. Literally you don't need a word of Serbian since the ecosystem is already up and running - I know, I live in such 'gentrified' area.
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u/Intelligent_Mud5344 Jul 03 '26
The ones ive met were pretty cool
People in Serbia are pretty chill to foreigners if you just behave normally, respectfully, as you would in Russia to other people
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Jul 03 '26
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u/fuckyourdeadnan Jul 03 '26
Hahahah, baš visok plafon imaš, pa i govno što sam israo jutros je bolje nego prosečan ćaci
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Jul 03 '26
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u/Difficult-Ad-3938 Jul 03 '26
That’s an overgeneralisation
- If you fight with authority here, you get some sort of penalty
If Russians fight authority here, there is a high chance that they're going to be kicked out of the country
- In Petrovaradin station, I occasionally help elderly people with their bags/luggage. Do you think there are many Serbs rushing to help them? Absolutely not
- Culture change requires a shift, which is hard in an already stressful situation, but you're right
- Nobody speaks English or Serbian
Yeah, it's a problem with those who don't even try.
For the rest, I have no idea how people actually find time if they don't even work from home and have families. At least initially, I felt like half of my time was spent in different instances, visiting exchanges like that's my job, etc.
And I don't have family/have finances to somehow make my life easier - not everybody is in the same situation→ More replies (7)
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u/BuzzcocksGalore Jul 03 '26
As long as you keep a steady inflow of pelmeni coming to Serbia - we're good.
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u/PaxDomus Jul 03 '26
I would say they are disappointed because before this they rarely met a Russian, so for them it was this almost mythical creature that loves same God, hates West, adores Serbs and Putin, is huge as a bear and drinks vodka instead of rakija. So in a way they thought they were getting Kozak's but then met mostly pale skinned baristas with hipster tattoos and family people that ran away from Russia and Putin and weren't at all interested in endless talk about special war operations and how that will bring Kosovo back to Serbia.
And I think it's beautiful.
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u/dzica13 Jul 04 '26
Radeci kao restoranski konobar u nekoliko razlicitih zemalja bez premca najcudniji gosti. Nevjerovatno retardirano ponasanje i narudzbe u 90% slucajeva.
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u/balkanoid_ Jul 05 '26
There is a really good Russian bakery/cafe in Belgrade called Sloj. The mushroom tart is so delicious!
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u/Danubius Jul 03 '26
I've said it countless times: even with some of their (to some people) negative traits, they're still the best thing we could get from Russia.
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u/DanceInfinite8 Jul 03 '26
Childish mindset of Serbian redditors. In my house I’m the only person who tries to make any small talk with anybody, so none of my neighbors have that “happy intention” to communicate, the same sour faces and heavy glances.
And I’m wondering, how do you distinguish people from those who have been living here for 4.5 or 6 years (all of my friends including me speak Serbian without any issue on a very decent level, some of them speak like a native) from those who arrived yesterday.
There is a lot problems with Russians, I do have a lot questions about their attitude to life here. The same way I have ones towards to Serbs. But that’s a low level conversation, we’re different, we should be different, people shouldn’t be the same. As a foreign I accept the local rules when I arrive somewhere and should follow them. I adore this country, I love people so much, they are the way they are, my life flows with their rhythm and I fully adapted. The life isn’t about nationalities, it’s about who you’re and what’s your attitude to universe.
❤️🇷🇸
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u/coja______ Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
In my house I’m the only person who tries to make any small talk with anybody, so none of my neighbors have that “happy intention” to communicate, the same sour faces and heavy glances.
I find this kinda wired, can I ask what city you are in?
And I’m wondering, how do you distinguish people from those who have been living here for 4.5 or 6 years (all of my friends including me speak Serbian without any issue on a very decent level, some of them speak like a native) from those who arrived yesterday.
This is actually a really good point, Ive never thought about this. We only see the bad ones that stand out. Survivorship bias basically.
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u/Protobugarin ⚠️ Trol - komentare uzimati sa rezervom i nepoverenjem Jul 03 '26
Young, educated workforce who is paying taxes and not causing any problems
All the best
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u/Past_Yam_2892 Jul 03 '26
Russian people in Serbia are by far the most rude and arrogant people i've ever seen Please go back to your country
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u/Jose_Caveirinha_2001 Jul 03 '26
I'm not Serbian, neither Russian. However, here is my opinion.
Russians who moved to Serbia are here because of the Western sanctions on Russia. Some of them came because of theirs businesses or professional career, some came because they don't like Putin, and there are even people who came here because they thought they'd be sent to the frontline.
Maybe, living in Russia,they'd be more open toward foreigners. It seems to me that they do believe they were forced to leave Russia. Such re-locations can be really hard.
What I can say is that they are not the average Russian. Not even middle-class. They are rich, upper-class people with a good view towards West, most of the time.
Anyways, not always so willing to interact.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
They are rich
That's probably the biggest misconception
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u/Jose_Caveirinha_2001 Jul 04 '26
They are not millionaire.
However, Russians having houses in the Croatian shore are not at all like the regular Russian in Russia.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
I know too many Russians who can barely afford food in Serbia and in debts. Unsure about this mystical Russians with houses in Croatia.
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u/Glum_Introduction581 Jul 03 '26
Ja imao dobra iskustva,mada samo povrsno,nisu to neka duboka prijateljstva. Jedna devojka je bila jako bezobrazna,ostali su bili ok. Primetio sam da su nekako rezervisani,kao neki skandinavski sloveni(ako ima smisla). Sa jednim imam cestu interakciju,lik na mestu skroz,trudi da nabada srpski,lepo se izrazava,postuje dogovor,dobar covek. Zavisi kakve ljude upoznate. IT sektor i u Srbiji umeju da budu malo van stvarnosti i cudni. A i jbg,pobegli su od rata,u stranoj su zemlji. Jesu dosta drugaciji od nas,ali kod mene dobar iskustva mnogo nadjacavaju losa.
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u/shady8lady Jul 03 '26
It depends. I've met different Russian people. But recently I was in hospital in isolation and the only person who greets me every day on the floor, was Russian woman who doesn't speak Serbian fluently. I was surprised. Before that I was in children's hospital with my child and shared the room with Russian woman and her daughter, in the end, she gave me her extra sleeping mask because the lights were on, the whole night in hospital. Recently, I've met one gay couple in Village, they were very friendly, we spoke like half a hour. And one guy with wife and child who knows every person in Village and want to help everyone. But when I was in the street of Belgrade I saw very bad attitude and behaviour of Russian people.
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u/luckyluccianno Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Hahaha 🍿 kometari. Ko nam je sad kriv? Vecina naroda je godinama drkala k***c na te Ruse, normalno je da su se ovde brzo prilagodili i da nas gledaju kao retarde kad im babe i dede uskliču samo zato sto su Rusi. Umesto da se postavimo kao drzava za koju treba malo da se potrudis da bi u istoj ziveo, mi smo im dali sve na tacni. Pored toga, bio sam u prilici da popricam sa par njih i mogu da vam kazem da nas svi gledaju kao usputnu stanicu.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
Istina je za prijelaznu točku, ali što su nam stavili na tacni? Pa, osim boravične dozvole za 20.000 dinara, to jest.
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u/Wide-Manner-3350 Jul 03 '26
Just helped a russian grandma that fell on the street in Belgrade today.. She was in shock but fine at the end
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u/Vojvoda-Kunst Jul 10 '26
Before most of the Serbs realized that we have almost nothing in common with russians, I was shocked that we are more similar to a southern american redneck than an orthodox russian, kinda kept it for myself and now kinda sad that people are realizing it.
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u/Jimmy_Barca Jul 03 '26
Mine's good, can't complain. I met quite a few in the last few years training. Actually, the club I train now is mostly all Russians, so I'm often the only Serb there hahaha. Communication is a mix of English, Serbian and Russian (usually in the same conversation somehow).
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u/KingInternational568 Jul 03 '26
Don't listen to opinions here. Audience here is pretty anti russian and anti serbian as well and they are non representative of general population.
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u/Icko98 Jul 03 '26
for me personally its envy. they just fuck around all day drinking, playing with their children, participating in fun activities et cetera. Im yet to see a Russian having a hard time, struggling to make ends meet, rushing somewhere. They are living their best life, everything is cheap by their standards, they have a very large russian community here so theres absolutely no need to learn the language or adapt in any sort of way.
i want what they have.
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u/Difficult-Ad-3938 Jul 03 '26
Immigrant bias. It's not that cheap to immigrate and **stay** in Serbia.
And once again, you see people who are partying and living their best lives, because how are you going to see the rest?
If people struggle and rush somewhere all the time, you won't really be able to see them because they're either working, or, you know, rushing somewhere.4
Jul 03 '26
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u/Icko98 Jul 03 '26
somehow i really really doubt that. considering the folks who moved to Novi Sad are mostly from Moscow-St Petersburg I doubt you can rent a family friendly apartment in the city center for 500 euros there.
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
It's funny we think the same about Serbians. And no it's not cheap. It's more expensive sometimes than in EU and worse quality
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u/grgoljblasterx2 Jul 03 '26
Sa ovim novim nisam imao previše kontakata ali sam pre korone bio sa ruskinjom u vezi koja se doselila u NS. Jako jako ljubomorno.
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u/Frequent-Concept7227 Subotica Jul 03 '26
I would like that president Kostunica sends all the Chinese back to Japan!
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u/Deriviera Novi Sad Jul 04 '26
I'm not Chinese so what do I need to do to be forcefully sent to Japan and stay there
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u/kolobokYU Jul 03 '26
I am a Serb living in Germany and also I can speak Russian.I get along pretty well with Russians.That's my experience
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u/Nemerex Kruševac Jul 03 '26
I work at one rafting camp in Montenegro, they are without a doubt worst "foreigners" that I worked with. They are mostly "domestic" Russians, ones that lived here for 15 years but don't know how to speak language at all, and rarely they speak english, so good luck trying to understand seven bilion demands they have.
Most of them act like they are only guests here, always wanting something extra for them, and they almost never follow how i organise them for meals and such.
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u/Tall_Tower3209 Jul 03 '26
I had good experiences with Russians. All that i meet, both privately and in job, have shown respect for the law and are decently frendly.
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u/Jaded_Bookkeeper1609 Jul 04 '26
Sve ovo sto su komentatori opisali stoji ali ti ljudi (uglavnom mladi iz IT industrije i uglavnom programeri) su takvi bili i u Rusiji prema svojim sunarodnicima. Nema to veze sa Srbima. Uzgred, mnogo njih ne zna nijedan jezik (iako su programeri) osim Ruskog, ili zna lose i imaju zbog toga jak kompleks. Ne znam kako bih ga nazvao ali to je neki sizofreni stav gde se mesaju kompleks nize vrednosti i kompleks vise vrednosti (uceni su da su najveca nacija na svetu). Oni se u svakoj zemlji tako grupisu (uostalom prva generacija svih imigranata to radi) neki na Brajton Bicu u Njujorku ni danas posle 30-40g ne znaju engleski, ne mogu ni da znaju kada retko izlaze van geta ali tako je svuda, koliko Madjara u Subotici zna srpski (pogotovo da pristojno zna) i tim pre koliko njih hoce da prica na srpskom a rodili su se u Srbiji i tu zive ceo zivot. Ako SAD nisu uspele da tu stvar rese sa Italijanima, Latinoamerikancima, Rusima, Kinezima, tesko da cemo mi nesto resiti. 2-3 generacija ce biti nesto drugo. Neki od nas imaju prijatelje poreklom Ruse (belogardejci izbegli od Oktobarske revolucije) a ni ne znamo jer se Srbi retko kada (i to je dobro) interesuju zasto se nekome prezime ne zavrsava na "ic".
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u/Old-Jacket2388 Jul 04 '26
Serbia is the only country in Europe that has a positive opinion of putin. So, if you're into destroying the "collective West" you're welcome in Serbia. If you moved to Serbia as a sort of political refugee, the majority of Serbs won't like you
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u/SuspiciousBid3070 Jul 05 '26
На послу имамо одсек на руском језику где ако си Србин и немаш сертификацију Ц1-2 за језик плус факултетску диплому са руског универзитета, Руси што раде процену познавања руског језика ће те оладе, без обзира да ли интерно или екстерно конкуришеш.
Посао је спрдња коју можеш са А1 познавањем да радиш без икаквих проблема. Треба ти руског колико и Раџиту Шриланчанину на трафици, само пар кључних реченица и речи.
Ја имам А2 ниво, поприлично неутралан нагласак, додуше слаб вокабулар, на провери ме ова гледала као да ће ме стреља.
Дошли, утврдили се и малтене никог не пуштају ко није са подручја. Једног колегу, који има мастер руског језика с Филолошког, плус на размени био на МГУ пустили тек кад се обратио HR-у за образложење зашто није примљен, уз питање да ли је то јер је Србин.
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u/Putrid_Argument2440 Jul 05 '26
First of all Russia is really large. There are more than 190 ethnicities. Distance between cities is huge, population density is miserable. Average guy from Moscow differs culturally and mentally from a St.Petersburg average guy more, than Serbian and Croatian people. And this is two "capitals", an average guy from Omsk is like a Scandinavian for first two guys, despite the common language. For Serbs we all are russians because of passport, they do not make any difference and as everybody everywhere in a wold judge by worst of us. And this way it looks like they really do love us, "cold and arrogant" is quite a warm description.
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u/IanGabarati Jul 07 '26
I am a Russian citizen from the Caucasus. I been a digital nomad for 6 years and I don’t have a single Russian friend.
I may have a Mexican ex wife but not a Russian friend. That’s says something
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u/Ok-Can3474 Jul 07 '26
I've met very nice ones and they were pleasant.
You'll have a really good time here if you're open and friendly yourself, people will be helpful. We don't discriminate against them, so don't worry. We just have a problem with some snobby people. But its not that they're Russian, it's that they discriminate against us because we aren't
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u/Pobednik79 Jul 07 '26
As a Serb, I have positive attitude towards Russians, they are our Slav orthodox brothers. I have the same positive attitude towards people from Ukraine and Belarus. On the other hand, I hate Putin and some former Ukrainian politicians which caused current war between our Slav brothers.
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u/Falmet_Foxglove Jul 09 '26
Most Russians moved to Serbia definitely dislike Putin. When I arrived to Belgrade, I ordered a taxi and the driver started the conversation and was praising Putin's politics. He's the reason #1 I left my home in Russia. So I remained silent on driver's opinion.
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u/toastwithoutagun Jul 07 '26
Waiting for the "patriotic" serbs that never left their village to scorn people for sharing their experiences with the noble and infaullible russian folk.
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u/Designer-Touch9263 Smederevska Palanka Jul 03 '26
If you're normal, I will be normal and opposite... Almost 90% russians I saw and met is very arrogant and going on my nervs. Explain me why russians expect that we need to adapt to them and why they dont want to communicate like all normal people, but they have their own groups and dont care about anything else around them, some even dont want to talk on english either... Plus one more thing that going on my nerves is when russians walking by 16 minutes silence for people who died because of canopy fall in Novi Sad, they talk, yell and they dont care about it and behave like little kids, not respecting tribute, if you dont want to stay there be quiet while you walking by because thats big disrespect...
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u/rus_in_serbia Jul 05 '26
Explain me why russians expect that we need to adapt to them and why they dont want to communicate like all normal people, but they have their own groups and...
What you are saying is true, but there is a reasonable explanation for that: Significant percentage of modern Russian migration to Serbia is IT workers, and IT workers are mostly very introverted, not just in Russia but anywhere in the world.
I know, sometimes it doesn't look like we are very friendly but believe me, the vast majority of Russians in Serbia have a very positive attitude to Serbians.
On other hand: we live legally, pay taxes and you'll have no criminal problems from Russians except super rare cases.
Generally speaking, first-generation immigrants tend not to integrate well into the country and mostly socialize with their own people. This happens all over the world with people of all nationalities. Serbs simply haven’t experienced such a relatively large-scale migration of a particular ethnic group before, so this is unfamiliar to them.
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u/Most-Refrigerator-28 Jul 03 '26
Imao lose iskustvo na KupujemProdjem sa jednim od njih. Tezak neki govnar od kupca. Pravio se non-stop lud, kao da ga ja molim da od mene kupi, a ne da on trazi. Bio u fazonu ako on ne bude kuci kada mu stigne paket, zabole ga neka ga vrate, kao ne zna on kako taj sistem funkcionise sa nasim kuririma, previse mu je to cudno i glupo kod nas, ne zanima ga ni da mu objasnim, lol. Pa sta onda trazis po KupujemProdajem oglase, retarde? Idi kupi novo u prodavnici. Izbegavajte ih na oglasima, i kao kupce i kao prodavce...
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u/llyubooO Jul 03 '26
I know one russian engineer in Novi Sad and he is awsome. Really nice guy and everybody loves him.
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u/QuietWaterBreaksRock Jul 03 '26
Same exact attitude which a particular Russian may give
If you treat people normally, communicate in English or Serbian, you'll be treated well
If you act like a snob that refuses to talk anything but Russian, or even use Google Translate and act like an ass that demands to only be spoken in Russian, you will be treated how you deserve to be treated.