Please note that I am not an agency and have no plans to expand in that direction. About 1/3 of my accommodation clients, however, are here because of their Russian female friends, and I regularly find myself involved into their projects. My role ranges from lending a friendly ear to issuing semi-serious advice to watching out for trouble to taking care of of the paperwork and logistics for you. Thus this document to summarize that I can (and cannot) do for Russian bride seekers.

• Let's discuss the pros and cons of looking for a wife in Russia, possible obstacles, common pitfalls and how to avoid them, or anything else to help you decide whether you want to embark upon this undertaking.
• Access to real Russian women may be obscured by numerous international dating sites. I can help you reach beyond the facade. Newspaper ads, in my experience, work best to establish contact with real women who have not yet received hundreds of replies and dozens of presents - a situation likely to result in "there is always someone better around the corner" syndrome. Of course the absolutely proper method is to move here, get a job, and live a normal life it is just happens but very few will do that. Still, your own ads are much preferable to agencies.
• I'm in a good position to place your ads in Tver and to monitor replies. Tver is famous for its beautiful women and distorted male to female ratio. Further, women in some of the newer local dating and marriage agencies in Tver may be receiving only 2-3 replies per month, as opposed to hundreds in large international ones. Thus your ad or your profile with the agency stands a a chance of getting noticed and standing out when seen by you match.
• Do you have special preferences? Don't hesitate to share these with me. Be assured that I will not be offended by tastes or needs that differ from the average. On the other hand I very well may be able to recommend just how you go about looking for that special someone.
• Translations, done on-the-fly, with my comments (optional) to help you truly understand each other. I understand nuances and subtleties of both English and Russian and thus can help you truly understand each other.
• I can deliver your presents and report how the woman you are interested in looks and sounds in person. If she does not mind I will make photographs.
• Photos, realistic to the point of cruelty, are my specialization. I will show you things that her controlled public image may not reveal, eg. extra weight or crooked teeth or pock-marks.
• You will not need to worry about Russian brides scam because scammers - at least all I've encountered so far - operate remotely through large international dating sites. No scammer has so far emerged from a small personal ad in a local newspaper. Suspected scammers always disappeared when a face-to-face contact with me as your agent was proposed. Contact me if you are being asked for money.
• I can facilitate the paperwork related to your marriage. With some luck we'll get the affidavit of no impediment to marriage and have it sealed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs same or next day.  
• Things didn't work out? If part of the problem is, geographically, in Russia, I may help by acting as your agent. I sincerely hope this will not be necessary but I will do whatever my client requires except contract murder and similar gross violation of rules moral and legal. I totally understand the sentiment but am too much of a wimp to risk ending up in a Russian prison. Two enquiries of that sort so far.

My pages you may find useful for your "Russian Wife" project:

• Hand-picked accommodation offers in Moscow, with emphasis on the "respectfully budget" range: www.cheap-moscow.com  A few rooms there too. The cheapest offers that pop up there are $10-15/night beds.
• Drivers and guides: www.moscowdrivers.net. If the situation requires I can personally be your driver and all-around assistant.
• Small-town and rural Russia is where the roots of your Russian friend likely are. Look at Russia beyond Red Square, Armory and other other postcard stuff. Try to understand the environment that produced and shaped the woman who will possibly be your lifetime mate. My  www.staritsa.info and www.russian-horse-rides.com invite you to explore Russia beyond Moscow, St. Petersburg, or the Trans-Siberian.

Expected contributions

No fee for 1-2 e-mails. For a consultation involving 4-6 e-mails and perhaps a couple of phone calls $50 will be appropriate. Placing an ad, providing a Post Office Box address, collecting letters, translating those into English, and scanning and e-mailing photos will typically generate a $120-150 bill. Translation of large amounts of routine correspondence is 5 cents per word. Something extra for translator's comments or extensive re-working of passages that are likely to be misconstrued. Think of 4 average e-mails as $25. Present delivery will be $50 or so. Same for thoughtfully selecting and purchasing the present on your behalf. The average bill for buying the present, interviewing the subject, and shooting and e-mailing her photos is normally around $120-150.  Fees for large assignments are based on $20-25 per hour rate.

Victims of Russian brides scam whom I talked out of wasting $1000 are encouraged to send 10% of the amount saved to support my work.

Trust that gives you an idea what to expect. Don't hesitate to ask for an estimate.

Contact details

E-mail is the best method to get in touch. Write to paul_voytinsky@yahoo.com and expect a response within hours. If you don't hear back from me, it is so because of some sort of a technical glitch. Please try again, possibly from another e-mail account, or call.

My numbers are +7-916-117-1527 in Moscow and +7-910-932-5546 in Staritsa, Tver region. Please use the phone in matters that just can't wait. Voice quality is often bad. If you need to discuss something live, let's try to arrange a time when I'll be accessible by land line. Also remember the time difference. We here are 9 hours ahead of New York here, and 3 hours ahead of Paris and Brussels. .

My full contact details are HERE

Pasha (Paul, Pavel) Voytinsky

 

See also my former partner Olesya's treatment of the subject at her www.russiangirlfriday.com

For anything related to Moldova, including Moldovan brides, check www.marisha.net.  Get her to help you write and place and singles ad, and to process replies.

Women and international dating agencies in Tver and anywhere else between Moscow and St. Petersburg will be documented at www.staritsa.info

Coming up:
Have you been scammed? A story of my successfully biting back on client's behalf. SOON

Check out Discount Russian Brides on eBay [link from DH]Discount Russian Brides on

An article on where beautiful Russian women disappear 

Sites concerned with Russian brides scam:
http://www.anti-scam.org

==>> Recommended for professionalism and especially for taking the scam issue seriously:  www.elenasmodels.com

A list of dating agencies that do NOT specialize in international clients is HERE