Russia is a country of contrasts and peculiarities. Many people on the internet romanticize Russian and Slavic culture and point out the sometimes harsh and bizarre reality of daily life in the region. A reality that no longer makes anyone living there so much as blink anymore. That’s where the ‘A Normal Day in Russia’ subreddit comes in.
An online community of over 1.15 million members, r/ANormalDayInRussia celebrates Russian culture with all of its weirdness, uniqueness, and moments that will have you going, ‘What in the world did I just see?’ Keep in mind, though, that the subreddit focuses on entertainment first and foremost: the stereotypes shown here don’t necessarily show the full width and breadth of living in the country. These photos do, however, indicate the culture shock you might get if you ever do visit.
Scroll down, upvote the pics that made you laugh or left you impressed, and let us know in the comments what you thought of this list. Just remember to keep it light when it comes to all the complicated politics, that’s not what the subreddit or this list is about: the aim is to celebrate cultural quirks and interesting daily life. Got your ushanka hats ready? Then let’s go, PanDAs.
Bored Panda reached out to the r/ANormalDayInRussia moderator team and one of its members was kind enough to go into detail about the idea behind the subreddit in more depth. As the moderator put it, the community isn't just about "bears and vodka" and doesn't want to focus on just these harmful stereotypes. You'll find their comments about steering away from negative content while keeping people entertained below.
#1 Родина, Сынок
Image credits: mrObry
#2 Not Exactly What You Want To See Coming Into Land At A Russian Airport
Image credits: qevoh
#3 Siberian Seasons. Frost & Mosquitoes
Image credits: denissnb
#4 Not Sure If This Belongs Here, But...
Image credits: totalinfonet
#5 When You Crash Your Cars And Wait For Traffic Police
Image credits: Areskoi
#6 Kirov Reporting
Image credits: reddit.com
#7 Seems About Right
Image credits: Moore078
#8 Normal Russian Seal
Image credits: __hrga__
#9 Lada Is Best
Image credits: bzyt_5
#10 Opposition Activist Arrested While Reporting Live About Arrests Of Opposition Activists
Image credits: aleksandrit
#11 Book Title: Combat Knives
Image credits: mrObry
#12 Subversion
Image credits: pavelasamsonov
#13 What You Mean By Scary? Is Friendly New Pet!
Image credits: The_Eastern_Stalker
#14 Russian Car Prank
Image credits: clovenpoet
#15 Sad Day
Image credits: DrozdMensch
#16 Recycling Is Subversive Capitalist Plot
Image credits: Vispooh
#17 Life And Times Of A Lada Owner
Image credits: Nihilist911
#18 What Kind Of Dog Is That?
Image credits: FearsomeFutch
#19 A Standard Protest In Russia (Krasnoyarsk 31.01.21)
Image credits: DaniilBSD
#20 Dealing With A Parking Spot Dispute
Image credits: xxSQUASHIExx
#21 Generations
Image credits: reddit.com
#22 Soviet Lifehack
Image credits: Hellbatty
#23 Roads? Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads
Image credits: FakingGoodLife
#24 Babushka Cleaning Her Tsar Bomba [30 October 1961 Colorized]
Image credits: Hawk6201
#25 *Russian Anthem Starts Playing
Image credits: Arachnadia
#26 Wedding Photo
Image credits: Pikaburu
#27 The Russian Scientists Want To Know Who Wrote "T-34" (Soviet Medium Tank) On The Side Of A Polar Bear
Image credits: MamasMilkFactory
#28 Russian Hands-Free Trunk Opening Feature
Image credits: AlexeiVadim
#29 Happy New... President?
Image credits: 4241
#30 Adeptus Mechanicus
Image credits: hide4way
#31 Accurate Analysis
Image credits: 4chanAD
#32 When The Guy Behind You Keeps Hitting The Chair
Image credits: yeerk_slayer
#33 Don't You Take My Parking Spot
Image credits: likeon
#34 TFW Putin Offers Some Tea
Image credits: -MGP-
#35 Good Job Sergey
Image credits: Pavel2811
#36 During The Rush Hour, Russian Streets Are Especially Prone To Accidents
Image credits: NKVDawg
#37 Alright Fair Enough
Image credits: scumculator
#38 Russian Cop Gets Interrupted By A Pack Of Wolves During A Traffic Stop
Image credits: qevoh
#39 The Ministry Of Emergency Situations Opened An Account On Tiktok
Image credits: Nihilist911
#40 How To Cheat On Exam
Image credits: Agent_Soviet
#41 On Russian Television Photoshopped The Smile Of Kim Jong-Un
Image credits: JtokohZohl
#42 Marketing Speed
Image credits: Chepushilkin
#43 This Is The Normal Way In My Hood. You Need Ak To Prop Your Hood
Image credits: usgaap
#44 Somewhere In Russia
Image credits: saloallo
