I don&#x27;t know how he thinks non US citizens have it easy to go to Russia, I&#x27;ve been there a couple of times and unless things have changed in the last couple of years you need to pre-book and pay for all your accommodation, and get sponsorship letters from each hotel you are staying in. It takes a month or so to process and takes a couple of trips to the Embassy (each of which is an hour or so wait).<p>If you want to visit friends or relatives then they have to undergo a background and finance check. Not pleasant if they are elderly relatives you are visiting.<p>When you get to Russia, if you&#x27;re staying outside of the main centres then you need to register in each town (usually at the police station or post office). Hostels and Hotels really don&#x27;t like foreigners turning up out of the blue without being on the itinerary.<p>This is from New Zealand who has a fairly cordial relationship with Russia and (before the current boycott) they are one of the biggest consumers of NZ dairy products.<p>Anyway good effort by the writer. Some hard and dangerous countries out there. I wonder how the heck he paid for it.