On a recent visit to Russia to attend an activist conference in Moscow I gained a fascinating impression of this great and civilised country during a time of war.
Just getting to Moscow was quite a challenge. I ended up flying to Helsinki, taking a bus to St Petersburg (the trains run by Russian Railways are suspended), and a train to Moscow.
There was much talk of long delays at the border with some being questioned by Russian border staff, and the fact that Finland had just joined NATO. So there were any number of things which could have gone wrong, and it was a huge relief to actually arrive in Russia.
The other problem was being unable to use any Western cards or payment apps, which entailed relying on people living in Russia buying rail tickets for me. It wasn’t possible to buy Russian roubles in London, or even at Helsinki airport so I had to take US dollars (the easiest to exchange), and rely almost completely on cash.
The overall impression I gained was of an incredibly civilised, very modern and dynamic country. From the time I came into the outskirts of St Petersburg, on the journey to Moscow and in Moscow itself there was new building work everywhere, many impressive looking modern buildings, and the transport, road and rail infrastructure was in perfect condition - a huge contrast with Britain’s degraded infrastructure.
Unlike Europe and the US, despite the sanctions the Russian Federation has extremely low unemployment and inflation, virtually no national debt, and huge reserves of foreign currencies and gold. Russia has more than recouped the assets illegally seized by Britain and the USA.
I was in Moscow for about a week, spending most of my time in the suburbs and travelling right to the city boundaries in the north, south and east. Everywhere I went I saw new, beautifully designed flats, and even the bus stops right at the edge of the city looked very modern and clean.
I asked many comrades “where are the poor down areas with high crime levels?" but travelling all over the city I didn’t come across a single area which wasn't pleasant, green and extremely safe. I was told that the suburb of Xovrina had been rough and dangerous 25 years ago, but was now regarded as very desirable. These comrades had no reason to paint a rosy picture.
As for the Western backed sanctions - actually supported by 30 of the UN's 193 members (including the USA’s Pacific dominions) - there was virtually no sign. In fact there are more empty shelves and missing items in UK shops, for various reasons, than in Russia.
Even the medium sized supermarkets on housing estates (these were built in Soviet times) found all over Moscow had all the daily needs of local people and of a very high standard. One very ordinary small suburban supermarket had a freezer with different types of caviar, the most expensive costing £13.
Many Western - and British - companies still operate in Russia including KFC, Marriott hotels, Subway, Auchan and Spar supermarkets, Philips, AstraZeneca, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Carlsberg, JP Morgan, Microsoft, Spotify, Toyota, Nestle, Red Bull, Total, Unilever, Benetton and TGI Friday.
One unintended result of the Western sanctions is that the wealthy oligarchs have returned their assets to Russia, and are now investing their enormous funds in Russia.
Moscow is an incredibly green city. Even on suburban housing estates where ordinary workers live, behind the blocks of flats are large areas of greenery and children's playing areas. I spent one night in a 13th floor 1970s Soviet era flat. While parts of it could do with a makeover, it was a lovely and surprisingly large flat with an enormous main bedroom. The area outside was clean, pleasant and safe.
I don't mean here to paint a perfect picture of the situation in Russia, I'm well aware that Moscow and St Petersburg are not wholly representative of this vast country, and that there are many problems in Russia. But we have to acknowledge that it is an extremely well run country.
I was told that most Moscow residents prefer to buy their flats. But the boom in construction of new blocks, with a far higher architectural standard than in Britain and similar to that in Germany or the Netherlands, is also a boom for property developers.
One comrade told me that mafia gangs were targeting elderly and vulnerable people to force them out of their flats, and that many migrants, mainly from the former Soviet Central Asian republics, were crowded into flats in large numbers. However that was only one person, and I didn't see any signs of corruption, gangs or criminal types, something I certainly came across in Moscow when I visited at the time of Gorbachev.
I also asked comrades about racism and racist attacks in Moscow and St Petersburg, which were sadly commonplace in the 1990s and early 2000s. All confirmed that both racism and racist attacks in the cities are virtually non existent today, a very positive piece of news.
According to Scott Ritter, who recently visited several Russian cities, Moscow receives more government money than other cities, but he says cities such as Novosibirsk and Ekaterinburg were also flourishing, and in fact had cash to spare and were looking for new projects to fund.
In Moscow, the transport system is infinitely better, and far cheaper, than London's. A single metro ticket for the whole network costs 60p, less than a quarter of that in London and a tenth of the cash fare, but the service is far more frequent and there are no signal failures, train failures, or "shortages of drivers". I also used buses and trams which were modern and clean.
Russia is also a surprisingly modern, hi-tech society. Few in the West realise that Russia is one of only three countries with their own internet and social media infrastructure, the others being the US and China. Here in Britain we are almost totally dependent on US platforms for our maps, e-commerce and media.
The Russian postal service has very smart looking parcel collection lockers in metro stations. There are apps to locate and instantly use cars or scooters on the streets. Yandex, the Russian equivalent of Google (with its own global maps) has very smart Chinese cars parked everywhere for instant hire. Most Russians use mobile payment apps rather than cash.
However, every metro station (in Moscow or St Petersburg) is fully staffed, including ticket offices - very useful for confused foreign visitors! All stations also have security staff and bag x-ray machines, a legacy of past terrorist bomb attacks.
One amazing discovery on my trip was the "stolovaya" restaurants, which originated in the 1920s to provide affordable meals for workers and liberate women from domestic drudgery.
These 'canteens' can be found everywhere, with several on St Petersburg's Nevsky Prospekt and offer a huge range of very healthy and high quality food, incredibly cheap and even affordable for pensioners (I checked). Many are even open 24 hours! There are also several commercial chains modelled on the stolovayas, all equally high standard and cheap, which can be found all over Moscow.
Although there are many Western style fast food chains, Russian fast food chains sell very healthy traditional dishes. I saw no equivalent of the fried chicken and pizza shops which saturate working class areas in Britain.
In Moscow I visited an enormous shopping centre , complete with a beautiful ice skating rink. I tried the re-branded Russian McDonalds (controversially named "Tasty - and That's It!"). The food was excellent and there were plenty of people queuing there.
Another discovery was the currency exchange offices on which I was totally dependent. Although they close at 6pm, they are extremely safe, some with security guards at the door, very fast and professional. The rates are fixed, so no need to look around to avoid being conned.
In general Russia is incredibly cheap. I stayed in a "2 star" hotel in the centre of St Petersburg the size of a small flat, with living room and bedroom areas, 2 TVs, kettle with tea/coffee and en suite bathroom, for £25.
As the American journalist Scott Ritter points out "if you convert roubles into dollars it wouldn't translate to what many Americans earn, but the rouble buys four times what the dollar does. If you go to a Russian supermarket and buy a basket of shopping, what would cost you thirty dollars in the United States costs six dollars in Russia."
The train journeys to and from St Petersburg-Moscow were a great experience. Having missed my fast train to Moscow, with help from a very patient cashier I managed to rebook for a "slow" train (5h 48m for a 392 mile trip) on the same day, for only £14. It was the smoothest rail journey I've ever experienced. On the way back I took a sleeper train with my own compartment, for £65. The trains run exactly on schedule, and the staff are very smart, efficient and friendly.
In the stations there were displays on the contribution the railways made in the Second World War in memory of Victory Day on 9th May, and the front cover of the Russian Railways monthly magazine was the hammer and sickle flag being raised over the Reichstag in 1945.
Many people have asked me about signs that Russia was at war. In the rail and metro stations, and next to main roads, there are many posters and video signs showing the 'Z' symbol or encouraging recruitment to the military. While writing this I heard that in May alone around 13,500 people volunteered to join up.
Apart from that there were few signs, except that Google and Yandex (the Russian equivalent) maps, and navigation apps went down on a couple of evenings in Moscow. As a result I lost my way once, and a comrade who was driving me somewhere eventually gave up and ordered a taxi.
I was also aware of the Ukrainian terrorist attacks in St Petersburg and near Moscow, but there is tight security everywhere, all done politely and professionally. The night I returned to Petersburg eight drones reached Moscow, two of which landed not far from where I had spent a night. Most were brought down, and there was only superficial damage.
I spent one day in St Petersburg, a very pleasant, beautiful and proud city with a rich history, and very much a seaport city. Opposite the Moskovsky Station on Vosstaniya Square is a huge sign lit up at night, "Hero City - Leningrad". I was very lucky to be given a tour of the main sights by two comrades from the St Petersburg Communist Party (CPRF) Komsomol. If anything I found Petersburg even more friendly than Moscow.
Unlike the car park next to Helsinki Vantaa airport where I caught the bus to St Petersburg, the Petersburg bus station was the nicest I have come across in many years of international bus travel. Dating from Soviet times, it had everything a traveller needs including food and drink counters at 6.30am, souvenir shops and large plant displays.
Despite the many problems to overcome, the visit was a fascinating experience. My impression is the Russian Federation is an extremely strong and self-reliant country. It is increasingly clear that throwing every possible sanction at Russia has had very little effect, and the country, whose economic fundamentals are in far better shape than other European states or the USA, is now returning to growth.
Returning to Britain with its depressing, crumbling infrastructure, a country where there are no reasons to be optimistic about the future, I am now missing Russia and its people and would like to return there at the first opportunity. It is a country I would love to live in.
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