Stories
Long reads and featured stories about Russia — culture, mindset, media, everyday life. Pick a topic, or read down the list.
Why Western bloggers are leaving Russia in 2026
Four videos, three answers: bad preparation, rural bureaucracy or residence rules that keep moving
Article
Why I'm doing this
A personal note from Vlad about why Two Nations exists, its ground rules, and the wider picture of Russia it is trying to show
Article · 4 min read
Why do foreigners still move to Russia in 2026?
The war changed the picture — but not the fact that people keep coming. Who moves, why, and what the numbers say
Article
Russia and Asia: How Not to Sleep Through the Biggest Shift
From 100,000 student exchanges with China to fully funded youth summits — the Russia-Asia track explained
Article · 4 min read
Russia and Africa: The Youth Axis Nobody Explained to You
From MGIMO forums to Russian Houses in Kampala — how Russia builds a youth ecosystem with Africa
Article · 4 min read
Russia in BRICS: How to Plug into the Club of the Future
BRICS is no longer just geopolitics. Youth camps, mentoring, research networks — and how you can personally join
Article · 4 min read
Being Black in Russia and 'Russian by Values'
An honest inside look: personal experience, state policy, and why Russianness is less about ethnicity and more about values
Article · 7 min read
The Truth About the Russian Mindset
Why Russians don't smile, why they don't hate the West, and what really drives the Russian psyche
Article · 5 min read
Life in Russia 2026: An Insider's Reality Check
Beyond the headlines: How navigation failures, Chinese cars, and the digital divide have shaped a new normal
Article · 2 min read
The Hidden Superpower: Russian-Speaking Founders Building Tomorrow's World
17,000+ entrepreneurs quietly dominating global tech
Article · 5 min read
Russian Internet: The Ultimate Guide
Creators, Musicians & Websites You Should Know
Article · 3 min read
Western Memes About Russia… Explained by a Russian
18 memes fact-checked by a real Russian (It Gets Weird)
Article · 8 min read
How the Pena Palace Inspired One of Moscow's Strangest Buildings
When Sintra met Moscow in the 19th century
Article · 2 min read
A Russian in Portugal
A whole world inside Lisbon
Article · 2 min read
The Propaganda Trap: When Both Sides Lie to You
Russia VS West: Breaking free from the echo chambers
Article · 2 min read
Citizen Diplomacy, Explained Simply
When people do better than governments
Article · 2 min read
Why Can't We Understand Each Other Anymore?
Media polarization explained simply
Article · 2 min read
Traditional Values Visa: Russia Attracts Europeans Seeking a Different Lifestyle
But why are some people choosing to move to Russia?
Article · 4 min read
Paris 2024: What I Really Experienced at the Olympics
An experience that says something about France, Russia... and all of us
Article · 4 min read
Two Nations: Why This Project Exists
My story and the vision behind this project
Article · 3 min readHow French hacked the Russian language
And why it surprises everyone
1 min readRussian nobility spoke French better than Russian
True or false?
1 min readThese Westerners moving to Russia
For genuinely weird reasons
1 min readHow Russians actually see Westerners IRL
Spoiler: it's not what you think
1 min readMy Moscow: what nobody actually tells you
The unfiltered truth
1 min readWhen coverage of Russia merges state and people
A look at how the shortcut works, and what it leaves out
1 min readSanctions, and the turn toward China
Two things that happened in the same decade
1 min readWestern politics seen by a non-Westerner
External perspective
1 min readWhy Slavs Don't Smile at Strangers: Metro Rules, Small Talk, Dating Bills
The 'Slavic vibe' is culture, not genetics: survival rules, no random smiles, dating etiquette
1 min read