Russian Dating

Hello Diana,

I would like to know about these online dating sites for woman in Russia and Ukraine. Are they legit or scams?

I have been on one site for a while and even though the women are beautiful, are they serious about really wanting to find a man abroad or are they just sites that are scams to get men to chat to them and spend all that money writing to them and chatting and to be a member of the site?

Do they have any real intentions of truly finding man to have a relationship with and fall in love and get married? I have done research on the internet but I can't seem to find any real good information.

Everything I read just seems to be from men that were pissed off because of one thing or another and wrote a negative ad about the sites.

If you have any real input about this sites I would really like to hear what you have to say. I am very interested in meeting an Eastern European woman from there to fall in love with and get married.

Thank you for your help and information in this matter.

Hi Steve,

Since you did not specify the Russian dating sites you are going on to find Russian and Ukrainian women,

I did my own search. I found dozens of Russian dating sites like russianbrides.com, anastaciadate.com, chanceforlove.com.

My search left me not only unimpressed by how the sites advertise the women but uncomfortable.

For instance, the Russian dating site russianbrides.com breaks down the women into categories such as, bathing beauties, bodacious brunettes, pretty and petite and so on.

Others like russianbrides.com tell the potential suitor the characteristics of a Russian bride. Here is a direct quote from chanceforlove.com

"Russian brides are family-motivated, searching for a good man to head the family. Don't think, however, that Russian brides are desperate to get out of Russia. They are not. But most Russian brides realize that their chance for love in Russia is pretty grim. Russian women heavily outnumber their men, and most Russian men do not appreciate Russian women for their many great qualities."

You can take what you like from this quote but all in all, it does not sit with me well. These Russian dating sites feel very much like a mail-order bride service.

My question is going to be blatant, but why are you focused on finding only a Russian or Ukrainian bride? Are you yourself Eastern European therefore you want to find a partner with the same cultural and similar traditions and values you have? Or are you into the idea of what you think a Russian woman will be like?

I'm concerned that you are solely focused on the idea of someone rather than who or what they really are. That is something you can only answer.

To address your question regarding the validity of these sites, I would be cautious. It is not uncommon for dating sites to require a membership fee; many mainstream sites like Match.com, eHarmoney.com, do. I would suggest not sending money or gifts to a woman.

Another issue you have to be wary of is that doing a background check on someone who lives overseas is more difficult than someone who is in the States. However, should you get to a point where you are serious with a woman in Russia or the Ukraine, I would do your research on her. Do your best to see if the facts add up and she is not a scam artist or only looking for her entry into the United States.

My advice may seem a tad harsh but I would rather you have your eyes wide open then become a victim of an online scam or worse get fooled into a sham marriage.

If your heart's desire is to find a Russian or Ukrainian woman, there are foundations and societies in the United States that host events. Perhaps you can attend one of those in your local city.

It may be the safest bet.

All the best,