comment: >
  
  
  not to traffic us or use us as collateral or anything.
  
  Yes definitely not, if you genuinely believe that's what some random Russian pirate taxis wanted from you in ~2010 you need to see a shrink about your paranoia. TBH even the being robbed by Russian officials on the street part sounds like complete BS.
context: I'm surprised 10% still went to Russia. >
  
  I think it likely that a vast majority of those 10% were during the almost two months of 2022 prior to the invasion. >
  
  Would this 10% primarily be tourists from "friendly to Russia" countries such as Eritrea, Iran, Venezuela, etc? >
  
  Couldn't tell ya.
  Plenty of people have been to Russia, and I'm sure many more would be willing to visit a country with a bad rep in the West, than a country maintaining an outright invasion. 
  I'd assume that, before the invasion, the proportion of Russia-"friendly" and Russia-"non-friendly" tourists would be the same as it has always been. After the invasion, I'd go out on a limb and guess that "friendlies" became a greater majority. >
  
  I don't know. Obviously it's anecdotal and I'm sure Russia is not all like that, but my only direct knowledge of tourism to Russia is that of my best friend's dad in the early 2000s.
  Basically he landed, got a taxi, and like 10 minutes later a guy at the traffic light with a gun mugged him and got all of his belongings, including his passport.
  Basically his holiday was: land - 10 minutes taxi ride - - gun to the head - 30 more minutes to the embassy to get help - fly back the next day.
  I might be wrong but that immediately put Russia at the bottom of my wish list. >
  
  Traveled through about a decade ago — got robbed on the street and by Russian officials at a small airport who meticulously went through our belongings, taking anything they deemed “culturally significant” and threatening us with arrest for having bought mittens from a Russian vendor at a Russian Christmas market. Constantly followed by “taxis” trying to get us into their unmarked vehicles.. y’know, to give us a super special Americans-only discount guided tour, not to traffic us or use us as collateral or anything. 
  I will not be returning. Can’t wait to visit a victorious Ukraine, though!