Upd: HN, the place where you get downvotes by agreeing to answer some questions. That's why I stopped coming.
In some areas Russia still becomes a better place to live, but if you compare it to Europe proper it still lacks in so many ways and the gap is not closing anytime soon, if not getting wider.
And the only news which come is about new restrictions on public life and political free speech.
As my colleague said to me 5 years back, "all of my canaries are now dead"
Your colleague should not keep his canaries in a mine in Siberia!
Joke aside, thanks for your comment, sorry for the downvotes, and good luck to you
And how has the 'work life' changed in the last 20 years? Basically, since the Internet became a thing. Can you tell a distinct difference?
I was on internet before my first job so ot is hard to say. It's a mixed bag. There are jobs which are bureaucratic hell (especially in large Soviet-survivor companies outside large cities), there are jobs which pay peanuts and productivity is non-existent (government sector), but then there's modern economy with nice offices, passable atmosphere and fine work-life balance. If you're not in IT and not splurging on natural resources wealth somehow, the pay is low.
Another thing is, since this 'freedom' for LGBT is relatively very new, most of them experienced very troubled childhood/puberty. It must have been very hard to fit in, not disappoint parents etc. yet feeling so out of place compared to rest of the crowd. Russia as a nation would benefit greatly from such an openness in long term, but I can't see it happening anytime soon.
Been there once (Elbrus), generally common folks are really nice, but this soviet mindset of fuck-it-all-lets-drink-some-vodka (and other like that) are bane of a modern free Russian society. One of examples how just having a lot of smart people isn't enough if there is enough negative things to counter-balance it. World moved to greener pastures, but Russia still seems like stuck in 1991.
2. Maybe I was like that before 2008 or so. Didn't make a difference either way.
If there was other Russian state, like Taiwan is for China, I think I'd jump ship and go for it. There isn't.
Upd: HN throttles me so have to answer here:
Even before 2014, Ukraine put their bet on propelling Ukrainian language and culture. Which from my perspective put them in the same ballpark as Czechia or Croatia. Surely, most people in Ukraine still speak Russian but their culture is 2nd class citizen.
Belarus is a small and boring dictatorship. They're either going the way of Ukraine or, as rumors go, get annexed by Russia. Back to square one. But otherwise it could be an option.
As for placing interests of Russia above my own: aren't we all do it sometimes in any country? Actually this is a trick question since Russians as a nation way overspent on loyalty to regimes in XX century.
Are Belarus and Ukraine too distinct from Russia to you? I realize that historically, these were part of Ruthenia and then Lithuania (and Poland-Lithuania), but ethnographically, they are still part of the Rus cultural spectrum like Novgorod and Muscovy were and unlike, say, Kazakhstan or Georgia.
Ukraine is a questionable choice since they seem to want to get away from any commonality with Russians as soon as possible, including the language.
You saying otherwise is making me question your motivations.
1. Russia and Ukraine were the same country until 1991. The culture was exactly the same until that time. Until less than half a decade ago, Ukraine was led by a Russian puppet. Believing the culture is "different" is blatantly ignorant or deceitful, and it's unlikely the poster is the former.
2. Russia is stressing the difference between itself in Ukraine to rouse support for its take over of Crimea.
I moved from Russia in 2012, and would gladly move to Ukraine, if not for that movement away from the Russian language.
This is how a nationalist can strongly oppose a nation's current government, when the government is not caring for the nation's prosperity (in the nationalist's eyes).
Most liberation movements across the world were and are openly nationalist.
That may be because you wrote Russian nationalist (a person with strong patriotic feelings), when you possibly meant Russian national (a citizen of a particular country).
I think you might have meant "Russian national" instead of "Russian nationalist". Calling ones self a nationalist around here is highly unpopular because that term is loaded with negative connotations for left leaning upper middle class Americans that mostly make up HN. You say "nationalist" and people think of someone that stands for everything that's the opposite of they do and then they down-vote.