What is your advice for a girl joining the Russian military?

Question

I'm American. However, I am a citizen as I was born there and lived there until I was five years old, and I am still fluent in Russian. Two of my aunts live there, and they are helping me set up. I'm 18.

Is it true that they hate Americans (I'm only 1/4 Russian, so I'm not "totally Russian")?

Answer 1

Why would you join the Russian military? Why not serve your own country? There is nothing remotely romantic about the Russian military. Besides, I don't know if there is a women's version of dedovschina, but I wouldn't be surprised. (You do know what dedovschina is, don't you?) And, if you are even 1/16 Jewish, regardless of whether you are baptized into Russian Orthodoxy, I seriously hope you are joking.

You should also consider the fact that you are a naturalized, rather than a native-born, American citizen. This is one of the few areas where it actually makes a difference. Enlisting in a foreign military without the permission of US Congress is absolute grounds for denaturalization. Obviously, the Justice Department cannot keep track of everyone, but what they do is catch someone like you every once in a while and make an example of him/her. (By the way, you may be denaturalized even if you don't have a Russian citizenship. It IS possible to be "stateless" you know.) Are you sure this is what you want? Listen to me, I am a lawyer. Think this through REALLY HARD. Are you really itching so much to fight in Chechnya, or is it the pure supposed "cooldom" of being in the Russian military that you consider worthy of jeopardizing your American citizenship for? What do your parents think about this? (Not to suggest that aren't a grown woman, or anything.)

Answer 2

yea i was in the US army, and met a couple of old russians who joined. very friendly.... but from the stories they told, made the Russian military sound like hell. just complete hell...
I bet its non stop cold as **** there too lol.

Answer 3

I don't think all Russians hate Americans. I went there for an extended stay in 1990 and communicated with some I met there after that and did not get that impression. I just question why you would want to serve in the military of a country you only lived a few years in and also when tensions are escalating between the US and Russia. Could you go to war against the US is a question you need to ask yourself I think?

Answer 4

Are you insane? The atmosphere in the Russian military is not the best at this time. Have you heard of "dedovshina". Here, read about it and rethink your decision:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dedovshchina
Russia isn't the U.S. - women normally don't join the military, unless they want to be a nurse or a cook.
If you do join (a rather dumb decision, but hey, it's your life), don't go around telling everyone you're an American. Let's just say that won't earn you any friendly pats on the back, especially in the army.

Answer 5

Sydney Russians don't hate Americans. My late father was a world traveler. He said Russians are more like Americans than any country he visited. He loved their people.

Russia still has a proud military. I'd stay away from their submarine service. Their subs are deathtraps. Any other branch of the Russian military should be fine.

Best of luck to you. Russian military service should be an exciting chapter in your life. Keep a diary. You may have a best selling book some day.

Answer 6

Everything I've seen on the news about the Russian Army says living conditions are horrible. There are food shortages and life seems to be generally horrible within the ranks. I would be worried about losing my American Citizenship too.

Answer 7

The Russian military has always had a harsh reputation and a very bad record of mistreating its conscripts, suicide is rampant in the forces, this was when it was a communist super-power.

I doubt if the mentality is any better now, poorly paid, poorly fed, poorly officered and poorly motivated, physicval abuse abounds with conscripts being beaten and raped by older soldiers and NCO's, why anyone particularly a young woman should want to voluntarly join them is beyond me.

If you go in there will be no getting out until your time is up, no calling momy & daddy for help, once inside, signed up you are a Russian citizen you take the oath of allegance to Mother Russia.

Answer 8

sounds like you need to find out what you are getting yourself into. I mean, do you know what the Russian Army is even about? Do you agree with their government? Thats who you will be working for. You're asking if they hate Americans, which they don't exactly hate us, but if you don't know that small amount of detail then maybe you should get your facts together and dig deep to find the real reason you want to join before you find yourself in between a rock and a hard place.

Answer 9

Good luck. Hope nothing bad happens to you. Russia is cool but why their military? if you are a American then you could just as easily join our military and be stationed there in Russia. and you wouldn't need your 2 aunts to help you get set up. No I am not a recruiter or anything it would just seem more logical to join up in our army then theirs that way you don't lose your American citizenship and you still get what you want.
GIRLS IN UNIFORM ARE HOT!

Answer 10

I see many of people above are badly brainwashed. Too badly brainwashed, to a looney state.

1. Russians don't hate Americans or Germans or Israelis. That's a propaganda BS.

2. There is no specific harm for women to serve in the Army. I used to have female clerks in my regiment, they were married to the officers, and were treated as typical officer wives, you know, an officer wife thinks she has her husband's rank ;-)

However, I don't recommend to enlist now because the governmental salary is significatnly lower than in private business.