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> Also, this is probably the last thing that comes to mind about Russians in general. For the most part, they are notoriously individualistic.

You understand "individualistic" in some specific (probably american) way. Russians may look individualistic if you don't know them well, but actually in Russia close friends and family means much more then in US.

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> You understand "individualistic" in some specific (probably american) way.

No, I meant individualistic in a "mostly devoid of the sense of social responsibility" way. In fact, it's a common meme in Russia to lament the lack of a sense of unity pervasive in the culture (the closeness of family/friends notwithstanding) .

In this definition yes, modern Russian people are individualists. But in sense > Extreme cold and very dark days tend to bring people together That is in the sense of small close group they are more collectivists than many of western countries.

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