Happy to hear this helped, and good luck on your trip! As long as learning Russian goes, just knowing the alphabet and the pronunciation should already be very helpful with not getting lost. Besides Russian has quite a few loan words you will instantly recognise. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Rosetta Stone approach which Babbel+ seems to build upon, and would rather give a go to some of the more traditional textbooks such as this one, but for a 10-day trip it should really not matter what materials you would be using.

Uber is very convenient in Moscow. 20 min ride costs like a bus ticket in EU. You don't have to say a single word and it is 100% safe. And there are hundreds of Uber drivers there.

I wouldn't use buses anywhere in Moscow. They're slow and prone to traffic jams. Aeroexpress, metro and taxis are the way to go for a tourist.

few people would suspect you to be a tourist from the US, unless you try to talk to them, that is.

@AndrewSavinykh most of foreign tourists in Russia are from EU so that's what will get assumed.

Agreed. For context, Russophobia in the US has reached absurd levels in a very short space of time, mostly without any basis in fact. That's where this question is coming from. OP will be pleasantly surprised to discover that the "bogeyman" is in reality no such thing.

@AndrewSavinykh Agreed, to a degree. I'm not sure how many people would assume your nationality from the fact you speak English, but it will certainly yell: "HI I'M A FOREIGNER, I'M DIFFERENT, PLEASE GAWK AT ME". So it may be wise to not speak to people at all if they don't appear trustworthy (which is kind of common sense anyway). It is also worth mentioning that paradoxically enough, Moscow is one of the most open-minded and ethnically diverse places in Russia (granted, not without its unfortunate share of xenophobia and racial hate crimes, but again, that is true to most large cities).

few people would suspect you to be a tourist from the US. I actually think US tourists can sometimes be easily distinguishable from European ones due to their attire which tends to be more on the sporty side (white sneakers, baseball cap, sport hoodie...) but this may or may not be true for OP.

Whatever you do, travel by underground. You don't want to miss out on encrypted.google.com/search?q=moscow+underground

@undercat you've mentioned a 5$ trip from the airport. I don't think your price is relevant, I think it is more like 10-15$

@VadimKotov Yup, the prices you gave sound about right for 2018! Makes one wonder if that enterprising taxi driver has upped his game since the incident I mentioned and started charging $200 now, just to keep up with the inflation and the foreign exchange rate!

I used the AeroExpress train from the airport the last time I was there. It was indeed fast, clean, safe, and (I thought) very cost-effective. The worst difficulty was getting through the hordes of taxi drivers who insisted that their taxi was the only way I could possibly get to where I was going.

@LightnessRacesinOrbit to be fair, this may not be Russophobia considering the concerns are coming from the OPs ~hosts~.

@jcm: Mmm, perhaps. In the original version of the question, it read much more like the alleged concern of the hosts was being reported via local colleagues, and I was taking that pass-through with a few lorries of salt. It's become more sensational since then.

@TonySnow While it may be true, unless the jobs have to do with cryptography, military tech or anonymity, it should unlikely case any issues whatsoever. I've met with quite a few people from the top ranking software/hardware US companies, and all of them had absolutely no issues traveling around the country. In certain cases, they even got VIP treatment by the officials for bringing specialized knowledge and/or economical value to the country. I'd say it is more dangerous to be a Russian scientist or engineer than to be a foreigner on a business trip.

I was charged $200 for my first taxi ride from the airport across town. I was in a hurry to get out of the "zoo" that is DMO airport. I will never again pay more than $20 for a taxi in Moscow.

@user74177 being an engineer in an industry which within has proprietary company secrets deemed to be of national interest due to value, perceived threat or fear, or if the company does work in a field affecting directly or indirectly, a nationally sensitive or heated area of interest is not insecure (unless you're working for a NATO country armed forces), you will probably even be given some form of preferential treatment.

Regarding your update - which foreigners have so far been jailed in Russia for opposing the war? Not just deported but actually jailed.

@JonathanReez I'm aware of at least one such case, a sailor from Ukraine was arrested and jailed in Vladivostok for expressing anti-war sentiment in social networks. I don't know if there's a list of all foreigners arrested in relation to the invasion. It's worth noting that too little time has passed so many people are awaiting trial. (1/2)

Also, Ukrainian citizens in Russia are routinely detained for questioning and are asked whether or not they have participated or know anyone participating in the anti-war protests. That poses an additional risk for Ukrainian nationals located in Russia. From my understanding, people are usually released after that. The list of all people known to have been detained or arrested at anti-war protests is located here but doesn't show people's citizenship. (2/2)

Oh, yes, Ukrainian citizens are definitely a special case! But what about other nationalities? As for protests participants - that's a special case and you could get arrested for attending one as far back as 2011. As much as I'm not a fan of the invasion, I'm highly skeptical of the idea that the Russian government would start jailing Europeans or Americans all of a sudden.

@JonathanReez I think you are correct. In my understanding, it would be easier to be accused of treason and jailed if you're a Russian national expressing dissent. I covered that by saying that "I will maintain that I don't think that being a foreign citizen would put you in a much greater risk category" but I can make it more clear. I agree that it's somewhat unlikely to be jailed or attacked as a EU or American citizen despite the ongoing war and militant rhetoric by the Russian government, however, you will still be at a much greater risk than before - along with everyone else living there.

Btw, "As for protests participants - that's a special case and you could get arrested for attending one as far back as 2011." - things have drastically changed for the worse. The first protest I attended was in 2014 (invasion of Crimea) and it was so much more peaceful than the stuff we have in 2018 through 2022. There is much more police violence and detentions. The police is now using facial recognition to identify and arrest the attendees. Heck, in 2014 the government legally OK'ed the anti-war protest so there were almost no detainees. It's inconceivable nowadays.

I'm aware there were many detentions back in 2011, but the scale of that protest was tremendous, so only a tiny fraction of people protesting suffered ramifications. Nowadays, it is very likely to have the police take note of you if you show up at a protest. It's really incomparable. The ante is also up because now you may be accused of treason and suffer 15 years in jail for opposing the war or supporting peace.

speak up against the war whenever possible - I'd strongly advise against it. Being persecuted as a Russian is horrible enough, imagine it being done to a foreigner. One might be lucky to just be deported (which is still a problematic issue if they need to continue doing business in Russia), but if a foreigner ends up in a Russian jail it may just as well be a death sentence. Dealing with the Russian authoritarian regime is the responsibility of the Russian citizenry, not foreigners.

@littleadv I agree that jail is a traumatizing experience for everyone. However, I don't think foreign nationals are running a higher risk getting jailed in Russia compared to Russian citizens. I also don't think that being unfortunate enough to be born in Russia somehow makes you responsible for dealing with the regime (and conversely, not being born in Russia makes you exempt). You do what you feel right and what you're capable of. If you don't feel in the right mental state to speak out against the war or can't bear the possible consequences, don't. No one likes belling the cat.

@undercat I'm sorry to tell you but your government is your responsibility. Not anyone else's. Encouraging foreigners to carry your water is based on the same assumption that brought you this far: Russians just don't think their government has anything to do with them. You guys just think it's a given that you have some autocrat or the other ruling you, it's not your fault. Well, guess what - it is. You let them.

If you are an expat/traveller and get caught during the protests, it would be a very good case for Russian Federation's propaganda, because you're essentially the "foreign influence trying to fuel revolt in Russia and meddling in its affairs" they were talking about for years. Don't think they'll jail you, though, but can't guarantee them not to.

better advise for those in Russia (especially foreigners): stay neutral in any conversation regarding the political and military situation, if possible at all avoid such conversations entirely. Do NOT enter areas where protests are going on or crowds seem to be gathering. If you are in such an area, quietly leave the area. This is no different from the way foreigners had to act in the USSR in the 1980s and should behave in any country with a potentially hostile government to their own at any time.

@littleadv I don't think you are in a position to judge whether I or anyone else somehow "let" the regime to occur or not. Equally baffling is the "you guys" generalization. If you think Russian citizens are uniform in their political views or actions, you are very mistaken. I am convinced that I've done a lot to support peace and the victims of this war and this regime. Either way, you are clearly not the target audience of this question, so I will disengage.

@alamar First of all, note that my answer does not encourage direct participation in protests, although it does provide some thoughts on getting help if you end up detained whether for protesting, or for ending up "in the wrong place at the wrong time". I will also note that you don't need foreign nationals for the Russian propaganda to claim "foreign influence" and Russia has been doing that for years with the "foreign agent" thing. From my experience many people have been avoiding speaking out because they work for a foreign company or have a foreign bank account or (1/2)

have received money from abroad, which makes them think somehow they are not the right people to protest. Your suggestion will definitely be the safest reasoning that a lot of Russians follow, but is it the right judgment call when you are aware of the atrocities of the war going, and when you know you can make a difference by educating people? I think it's unethical for anyone to pretend nothing horrible is happening, but that is my personal stance. Know your risks, follow your heart. (2/2)

It's a very naive stance that a traveller/expat may 'educate' people. If they happen to be a political scientist, strategist, or human rights expert, this is possible, but if a random Western dude(tte) jumps in, it's hubris.

@alamar That sounds like a strawman argument to me, but yes, it is always good to know the facts before conveying your views.