Hi Tomkat:

I understand what you are getting at, but on a purely practical level, it's not a good idea to visit other countries when they are in the middle of a war, either internal (civil war) or with another country.

I spent many years of my life working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the middle of other people's wars. The ICRC are the folks you see in the news this week exchanging prisoners between Gaza & Israel. I can tell you from first-hand experience that no matter how nice the average citizens of a country are - and I don't dispute that Russian citizens are generally nice people - when a country is involved in a war, everyone gets tense, and all the little things that should normally be simple and straightforward become complicated and sometimes fraught with peril.

Heck, I remember that back in 2001, when the Americans were in the middle of their 'War on Terror' following the September 11 attacks, it was a real PITA for me, a Canadian citizen and a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) to enter the USA! The customs folks were grouchy and tense, and the overall mood in the country was not what you would call serene.

Far better that the original poster postpone his trip until the current conflict ends. Russia will still be there, and he'll have a much more enjoyable trip than he would have at the present time - not to mention not having to put up with all the inconveniences you mentioned, such as not being able to use credit cards, ATMs, etc.

Michael