Russian Mail Order Brides: Interview, Guide, Statistics

If you’re wondering why Russian brides are so popular, how to impress hot Russian women, and how much does it actually cost to find and marry a Russian bride, you’ve come to the right place.
I’ll answer all of your questions here—on this page, you’ll find real facts about Russian women, a full cost breakdown, and lots of useful tips and guides.
But first, let’s talk to a real Russian woman from a dating service—Anastasia, a 28-year old Russian girl, is going to tell you something really interesting about her and about how this industry works.
Interview with Anastasia—a Russian mail order bride

Who are you?
Anastasia: Hi! My name is Anastasia—I’m from Moscow but I live in Ukraine since 2020. I work as a Coffee Bar Attendant (or barista in simple terms) and I’m completing my Master’s degree right now (Food & Beverage). I’m 28 years old and I’m not technically a Russian Bride yet—because I haven’t found the right man yet—but I’ve been actively using Russian mail order bride services for around 3 months so I know something about it!
Why did you become a mail order bride?
Anastasia: Because why not? I just don’t like how Russian men treat their women, that’s all. Men I’ve had a relationship with in my country are too patriarchal and too unconfident at the same time (I don’t know how they combined these two qualities but they did it successfully.) Our society is still too conservative and consequently, our men are too conservative, too. I know a lot of Russian women interested in dating foreigners and a few Russian mail order wives who moved to the United States during the last years. It’s probably their example that made me do it.
How did you choose the dating site?
Anastasia: I read tons of reviews but didn’t find anything really informative. I asked my friends then, other Ukrainian and Russian women who are more experienced than me. They told me about BravoDate so I read some reviews and created an account, that’s all.
Why do you want a foreign husband?
Anastasia: Because… no offence, Russian guys, but to me, they just pale in comparison with American men. Too patriarchal, too tolerant, too much appreciation for domestic violence, too uncaring about the appearance. I can’t even compare them to American men (or to Ukrainian or Western European men). And it’s about the country, too—obviously, the quality of life is much better in the US than in my country.
Have you already communicated with Western men on dating sites?
Anastasia: Well, I’m not the luckiest Russian girl—so yes, but nothing serious. I’m always open to something new!
What do you like about Western men and what you don’t like?
Anastasia: I know a lot about Western gentlemen but not from my own experience, it’s more about what my friends, other Russian mail order wives, say. According to what they say, American men have several great features. First of all, they take care about how they look (it’s very important, actually). Second, they are more respectful, calmer, and gentler than men from Russia. And third, they don’t try to act “macho”—they are confident and that’s what I like, and they are not tolerant to domestic violence. They just look more attractive to me! I don’t know.
As for the things I don’t like… Well, I don’t know. Maybe I don’t like the fact some Americans think Russian women are “easy”. That’s not true. We really like you, but we are definitely not easy, guys!
People often worry about scams and fakes on dating sites. Is using mail order bride sites safe in your opinion?
Anastasia: From what I know, there are no 100% safe mail bride sites because it’s impossible to create a website with 0 fake profiles. Well, it’s possible, but registration on such a site would be extremely time-consuming and difficult.
As for the site I’m using right now, BravoDate, I’ve met 2 fake profiles there—one of them had extremely poor English and fake photos, the other one just had fake photos, so I blocked and reported their profiles. They got deleted in a few minutes, as far as I know.
But I can’t speak for all Russian mail order wives services, of course. I know a Russian girl who once got scammed on of those free mail order bride services—she told her credit card number and some secret code, I don’t know. What I know is that you shouldn’t provide such information to anyone. They even warn about it in the bank app! And, of course, it’s important that you only use legitimate Russian bride sites.
Anastasia, can you help singles from the US understand Russian women better? Give advice to men on how to attract a Russian woman, please.
Anastasia: I can’t speak for all Russian brides, but what I think is that attracting Russian ladies isn’t that difficult if you’re a decent American man. Be yourself, always be confident but don’t try to be “macho”, make a Russian lady laugh—we love it!—and don’t forget about compliments and gentleman things like flowers, paying for the dinner, taxi, and all that. Just regular good old courting things will work great :)
Editor’s notes

European Countries Expert Michael Krakowski
Nothing to add here! Many Russian women for marriage do really want to meet a Western man because they are not happy with their local men; it’s quite an often thing in Russia. Their women are often in another league than their men! The level of life in their country is obviously much lower than the one in the US, and the situation isn’t going to improve in the future due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and sanctions. Russian ladies are just much more forward-thinking than their men—that’s why they prefer finding Western men and moving to better countries.
The good news is that Russian ladies don’t just want to get a better life; they want to get better men—and Americans are considered “better” by default. If you’re an American man who acts confident, has a good sense of humor, and doesn’t forget about courtesy, your chances are extremely high!
Now, let’s continue talking about dating Russian women. Why is it a good idea, how much does it cost, and how to get a Russian mail order wife to the US? Continue reading to find out.
Facts about marriages with Russian mail order brides
- Russia has an extremely high divorce rate—it’s 5 per 1,000 while it’s 3.8 in Ukraine and 3.4 in the United States. The main problems and reasons that lead to such a divorce rate are related to the financial situation, poverty, domestic abuse, etc. Interesting fact is: the divorce rate is much lower when it comes to American-Russian families!
- The stereotype about Russian ladies wanting at least 3 kids is a bit outdated—in today’s Russia, the Total Fertility Rate is 1.5, which is even lower than in the United States (1.7). The reasons for such a low rate are obvious, too—it’s mainly about the economic situation in Russia (which is far from perfect).
- Even young Russian girls are quite traditional when it comes to their views on marriage—around 60% of Russian women between 18 and 24 think that getting married and living in a family is more preferable than not getting married/living in a family without registering a marriage.
How much does a Russian bride cost?
Of course, it’s impossible to buy Russian brides or brides from any other country—obviously, the whole “Russian mail order brides” thing is actually about online dating, not about “buying” a partner.
As for online dating cost, let’s talk about the site Anastasia is using, BravoDate. It’s a website with a credit system—here’s how much credits cost on it:
- $2.99—20 credits for the first payment
- $9.99—20 credits for the second and next payments
- $19.99—50 credits
- $44.99—125 credits
- $69.99—250 credits
- $149.99—750 credits
Here’s the price of the communication services offered by BravoDate:
- Live chat—2 credits per 1 minute
- Email—10 credits for the first email, 30 credits for the next emails
- Profile videos—25 credits to watch 1 video
- Requesting a real-life meeting—625 credits
Sooner or later, you’ll need to meet Russian mail order brides in person. But, because of the war of Russia against Ukraine, the inner markets of both countries have experienced losses; and even though the losses of the first country cannot even imaginably be compared with the horrible losses of the second, we still should point out that the prices we provide below will soon be changed. The sanctions the western countries have imposed damaged the Russian economy, so please, note that soon the numbers we provide will be much bigger.
Here’s how much a 2-week trip to Russia cost before the war:
- Tickets—$800 (round trip)
- Hotel room—$400
- Transportation—$150
- Food—$300
- Entertainment—$600
As for taking your Russian wife or bride to the US, it’s simple—the K-1 visa would cost you around $2,200.
Anastasia, the Russian bride we interviewed, is using BravoDate—a great Russian brides website with a great reputation.
But it’s not the only dating site that is worth trying—if you want to try something different, we highly recommend you sign up on UkraineBrides4You and on TheLuckyDate.
These Ukrainian and Russian brides services are different, but these services are decent, and their admins have zero tolerance to scammers.
Step-by-step guide on how to get Russian mail order bride
- First, choose the right website with Russian brides. It’s extremely important to check and to test everything as well as to read all the reviews, because if you choose a wrong/fake/empty Russian mail order brides website, you will just spoil your international dating experience from the very beginning!
- Then, create a profile. Most Russian brides services offer their new users to answer several questions about their personality during the registration—we highly recommend answering these questions carefully to get the best matches.
- Upload some photos (choose the best ones but not the old ones, please) and write a catchy profile bio/description. Your dating profile must stand out from the crowd to attract more Russian brides!
- Start chatting with Russian girls—you’ll probably need to buy credits/pay for a premium subscription to start sending messages.
- When you chat with Russian brides, use video chat or, if the dating service you’re using doesn’t offer such a feature, at least google the photos of women you’re chatting with to make sure these are not fake profiles.
- Set up a real date—if you’re going to meet real Russian brides in person, don’t waste your time chatting online. According to my experience, most successful couples who met each other on dating sites have met in person in 2-3 months.
Is using MOB sites to find and date women legit?
Yes—what’s more, tens of thousands of Russian women start dating Americans every single year, and thousands of them enter the US on a K-1/CR-1 visa.
Using dating sites is 100% legal, as well as meeting Russian women and bringing your Russian bride/Russian wife to the United States.
In 3 years after the arrival, your Russian wife will be able to become a US citizen legally!
How to bring a Russian wife to the USA?
Getting a Russian mail order bride to the United States is legal, as we just said—but it’s not that easy. Read this short step-by-step guide to understand what steps you’ll need to go through.
- First, you will have to file the Form I-129. This is the Petition for Alien Fiance, and it’s the US citizen who needs to file it (if you’re a permanent resident with a green card, you can’t take your foreign bride to the United States).
- You will need to prove that you’re a US citizen (passport/birth certificate), to provide a copy of your foreign passport, and to prove that your relationship with your Russian mail order bride are “bona fide” (“for love,” legitimate). To do so, you’ll have to provide evidence, e.g, photos, hotel reservations, emails, statements from family/friends, etc.
- You and your bride will also have to write and to sign sworn statements that you intend to get married within 90 days of your bride’s arrival.
- In 6-9 months or so, your petition will be processed—after that, your bride will need to file the DS-160 Form (visa application). Your Russian bride will also need to print the confirmation page and take it with her to her interview.
- Here, you will need to provide an Affidavit of Support (I-134)—which means your annual income must be higher than $22,887.
- When this is done, your bride will need to bring her photos, passport copies, police clearances, and a sealed medical exam form to her visa interview. These interviews take place at the embassies—your bride will be asked a lot of questions about your relationship and about your life to make sure your relationship is genuine and legitimate.
- After that, she’ll get a visa packet—it’ll be sealed, and she must NOT open it (if she opens it, she might not be allowed to enter the US).
- Then, your Russian bride will be able to enter the country and get married within 90 days!
How to avoid Russian mail order bride scam?
There are several types of scam you need to be aware of if you’re interested in meeting Russian brides online. Let’s talk about the most common of them here.
1. “Send me money”
- The first one is simple, classic, and overly straightforward (but it still works). We’re talking about a situation when a Russian woman you’ve met online asks you to send her money because of various reasons—some scammers say they need to pay their medical bills, some say they need to pay for a visa, the others say they need a new laptop to continue communicating with you, etc. The main thing you have to know about it is that real Russian ladies typically don’t need your money—well, at least until you meet in person. If a Russian bride asks you for money, block her and report her profile—it’s most likely a scammer.

2. Personal and financial information scam
- The second one is when a Russian woman—or, which is much more likely, a scammer who uses fake photos—is trying to get your financial information. Your credit card number/CVC code, your PayPal password, your bank account number—if a Russian bride on a dating site asks you something like this, it’s 100% a scammer. Block, report, and forget.

3. Blackmail
- The third one is related to blackmail. Some scammers imitate Russian girls and exchange messages trying to gain your trust, and then, when you tell them some kind of sensitive information or send, you know, certain kind of photos, they start blackmailing you. You can avoid getting blackmailed—just make sure all those Russian women you’re chatting with are real (video chat can help).

That’s not all, of course—there are lots of Russian mail order bride scams, but these are the most common ones.
Remember, you can easily block and report an account if you feel something is wrong—and don’t worry about scammers. The odds of meeting a scammer on a good and trusted Russian mail order bride website are quite high.
