Also consider that attempting to avoid the question effectively means you're just giving out a different piece of personal information - rather than stating where you're from, you're strongly implying something about how you feel, or about how you expect others to feel, about where you're from. It'll be hard to sidestep the question without implying "I'm from a country I'd rather not be associated with", which is in some ways even more personal than a factoid about your birthplace.

@NuclearHoagie It also allows the asker's imagination to answer for you.

Would you give the same advice to an Iranian living in South Texas, say, around December 2001? Or a German expat living in London in 1950?

@Nohbody: Not comparable situations/climates.

Pre-emptively think about the SAME default answer that you're comfortable giving, and practice it so it is about as boring and uninteresting as you can imagine. Maybe add a bit of a blank stare in your eyes as if you're falling asleep giving the answer. People won't be suspicious of you if you get bored with the answer.

Not dismissing anything. If it makes the OP uncomfortable to talk about it, that's all the justification needed, whether or not they're in a community where there's significant risk of someone not understanding the distinction between a Russian emigre and Russia's current leaders and their actions. On the flip side, I have seen people shunned for their background -- even misattributed background. So it's real; I just think there's some space for judging the climate you are in and deciding whether specific people are likely to be stupid about it.

@keshlam, shunned doesn't suffice as a description of what people are capable of. And anyway my point is that the question must be taken seriously as written; we don't know everything about the situation, like you didn't know 45 minutes ago your were explaining 'othering' to a person who has been pretty thoroughly othered.

@Nohbdy I do not take this lightly. This is not a "fun" answer. If you make a secret out of something, people will fill this void with their worst imagination. Making it a secret is way worse than the truth, assuming the truth is that that person is totally uninvolved in current affairs. I would indeed give the same advice to those other groups you mentioned, although I can only speak for Europe. I would rather not comment on Texas, I have no advice that would protect someone in Texas from getting shot by an armed crazy person, no matter what they say, do, or where they are from.

@nvoigt, there really is good advice here. Thank you for your honest reply.

@Nohbdy Your analogies don't really apply to Russians though. As far as I'm concerned, the general idea about current Russians is that they are being oppressed by an authoritarian regime doing bad shit, but they don't really support these actions. People I met were sympathetic to those of Russian origin (as long as they didn't display support of the war). This is quite different from the attitude against people of middle-eastern origin after 2001, when the common racist assumption was (and, unfortunately, often is) each of them having a bomb in their jacket.

I think boring openness is probably the simplest way out of this issue. But I doubt your claim that people will think it "very rude" not to want to discuss your accent. This is obviously culture-dependent, but where I am from it is not uncommon for the questioner to be considered very rude for asking where someone is from based on their accent.

@Neinstein, don't get me wrong, I want you to be correct. My experience and yours already differ in this particular matter.

Professional demonstration of the "boring openness" approach: youtube.com/watch?v=V4C7IAmiUgs&t=42s

@Neinstein about current Russians is that they are being oppressed by an authoritarian regime doing bad shit I suggest you to broaden your knowledge, open up a websites that allows you to speak with people from a different regions and chat with a few people from Russia (not russians living in other countries). You would be surprised how many of them really support this war. Running away from mobilization does not mean that they do not support it, only that they see that they are losing and do not want to die. Yes, they are oppressed, but they just want someone to be oppressed even more.

@SalvadorDali Whether or not that's true of Russians in Russia, Neinstein is talking about people's perceptions of Russians living outside of Russia. The claim about those perceptions is plausible (depending on where you are, but at least where I am it's probably true), and Russians outside of Russia are not expected to have the same political opinions as those living in Russia.

@kaya3 he is talking about people in russia as otherwise it does not make any sense. If you are a North Korean living in Paris, Kim JohnUn does not have an ability to oppress you outside of his country and you are no longer oppressed by him. And yes, Russians leaving outside mostly do not support the war. The main question to the OP is what is the next question after they found out he is russian and more importantly what is his reply.

@SalvadorDali Several of my Russian friends have had to leave Russia to avoid being drafted into a war they do not support. Of course being forced to flee one's country is a kind of oppression. Also, whether or not Russians living in Russia believe they are oppressed is beside the point; it is reasonable to say that many Westerners believe those Russians are oppressed, and we are talking about those Westerners' likely response to learning that OP is Russian.

@kaya3 great. Now ask them how have they felt when russia annexed Crimea. Have they supported it, were against it or didn't care. Also do they think russia has to return it and whether it has to pay reparations after the war. These answers will clarify a lot for you. Now OP lived outside for long long time and people who ask him questions know this. So the guy who left the country 3 weeks ago might be oppressed, the guy who left 10y ago is definitely not.

@SalvadorDali Not sure why you think you know my friends better than I do, or why you think I need any clarifications about their political opinions. No, I will not ask my Russian friends or any other Russians I meet to answer for Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine or his other illegal and unconscionable actions, just because of their nationality. I totally reject the idea that everyone automatically needs to answer for the wrongdoings of their country's government.

@kaya3 not sure why was it hard to understand what I wrote. I never told I know what they will answer. Regarding why you think I need any clarifications about their political opinions, the answer is right in front of you: go get better understanding if they are being oppressed by an authoritarian regime doing bad shit. Regarding reject the idea that everyone automatically needs to answer for the wrongdoings of their country's government totally agree here. But people who support wrongdoings and want wrongdoings to continue, probably need to answer them.