Russian Connection ^SM

The Russian Connection program has evolved since 1991 following democratic reforms in the former U.S.S.R. Refinements have come about as a result of visits and contacts with the Russian Federation and networking with Russian citizens who became part of this cottage industry. A subsequent merger with Video Introductions (established 1977) brought about additional refinements and a greater variety of helpful services.

In contrast, Russian women have been exposed to a glamorized view of American men and life in America. Although Hollywood and Madison Ave. have certainly helped to create this romantic image, in numerous ways life really is much better in America. Moreover, American men have become more aware and sensitive to the needs of women (with the acknowledged help of the feminist movement). However, too many of us fall short of the exacting requirements of some American women (tall, handsome, etc.). Nonetheless, we are greatly admired by Russian females who are less influenced by such American prerequisites, and who still consider marriage and family to be paramount values in their lives. Compared to certain aspects of life in Russia, life in America with just an ordinary, good man has many advantages. However, we caution that Russian women may have an exaggerated view of what life in America may be like. We suggest that you attempt to provide a realistic view of who you are and what life in America or another country is truly like, rather than feed into any unrealistic expectations.

In addition to having the option of  choosing women via our web site and having us notify them by e-mail (those who have e-mail addresses) that you have selected them, we always send a written notification to all women you choose.  Together with any initial introductory letters, we enclose a copy of your member photo-profile information sheet and any photos or video you want to send to these women (your video will also appear on our website for those women who have internet access). We address the letters in Russian and forward them by airmail. We pay the postage on your letters to Russia (a reasonable number of letters to each woman you're writing to). For an extra fee we can send your letters by registered mail and request a return receipt that is signed by the recipient at that address to prove that your mail was delivered. In some areas International Express Mail is also possible.

If you decide to visit the women who reciprocate an interest in you, we can arrange a trip and provide the address and phone. We ask that you don't ask for the address or phone or provide yours in preliminary communications before a trip is arranged (see "Why We Don't Sell Addresses" below). Writing letters helps to establish the foundation of a relationship during a period of correspondence - an old fashioned but very effective relationship building procedure, largely neglected in our fast-paced American culture. For the member preferring immediacy, some women are accessible without much or any letter writing if they should have a phone, computer, or e-mail. Please be aware that many Russian women do not have phones or access to a computer.

Since the effectiveness of our program is related to the authenticity, availability and credibility of the males and females involved, we refuse to sell addresses. This allows us to safeguard contact information for serious members. We do this because:

A) The selling (and reselling) of addresses and the easy procurement of contact information, readily leads to many unknown men with questionable intentions contacting Russian females, thereby reducing the success of serious clients. Letters and phone calls from numerous men who may be neither serious, nor able to consider the prospect of marriage, or even a trip to Russia, can needlessly raise and then crush hopes of these women who openly pour out their hearts in their communications. We do not want to expose trusting, sincere women to married men, manipulators, prisoners, egomaniacs, low investment-low involvement curiousity seekers, or the financially unable. After a few such experiences these women can lose faith in the process and in the sincerity of the men and stop responding.

B) Our system qualifies and limits the number of men participating. As a result the women benefit from a better quality man and the men benefit from less competition. The qualifying (screening) process occurs in two stages. Initially, a membership fee serves to help eliminate men who are not serious about this venture, and allows us to provide personalized services to those men who want better than average results, and can afford a better quality program with a reputable firm. At the next stage, after mutual attraction and interest have been determined, the optional purchase of a trip enhances the man's credibility and reassures the woman that he really will come to visit. At this point you may choose to continue to communicate with the assistance of our office staff or you may contact the woman directly. On written communications routed through the office we will continue to address your outgoing letters in Russian (up to 2 a month to each woman you are writing to at no extra cost), and better yet, 3 way telephone conference calls can continue to be made to women who have phones with the assistance of one of our translators. This process enhances communication, protects you both and improves your results.

C) Our method allows tracking of responses of women to letters and phone calls and helps to identify problem women. Bargain-basement addresses are no bargain if you get no responses, or you are not alerted to problems other men have experienced.

D) Our method allows us to be aware of your developing situation and offer help if either of you should encounter problems in your attempts to communicate and establish and maintain a relationship. As a result, our members enjoy a high success rate with an ethical firm. Otherwise you're on your own.

Fill out your Member Profile and make your selections based upon your review of their Member Profile information, their photos, their video (if they have one) and their Partner Compatibility Questionnaire (if you have the partner compatibility questionnaire membership search options). At least one representative photo of yourself is requested for women you want us to contact by mail. Of course some Russian members will be able to view your photo on our web site if they have access to a computer. For local members, V.I. Portrait Studio is housed right in our office if you'd like to include professional photos. Photos from our studio or representative are recommended because we can verify the photo is of you and the year the photo was taken, in which case the you receive a photo verification symbol on your member profile, givng other members a sense of trust that this is what you really look like at the time the photo was taken. In any case, if you choose to provide your own photo(s), submit a photo that gives a fairly close up view of yourself. Photos of home, children, etc. are fine as long as she gets a photo giving her a fair impression of what you look like now or in the recent past. Don't send only something many years old without identifying it as such with the year the photo was taken, or you may both be disappointed when you show up in person.

Come into our office if possible so that we can verify your identity. You'll receive an identity verification symbol verifying that you are the person you say you are and that age listed on your member profile is correct, thereby creating trust in you. Unfortunately, if you don't already know, most typical dating websites are populated by numerous persons who create false information about themself, including age falsification, phony names and fictitious identities

Have us do a video interview of you or send in a video of yourself. A video reveals a wealth of information that a still photo and written information cannot convey. The video will appear on our website for your prospective date to see from any internet connected computer. This will serve to further lessen any unpleasant surprises when you meet.

Seriously consider investing in the partner compatibility testing process and carefully review the questionnaire comparisons of members you may be interested in. If the member doesn't already have a questionnaire on file, ask us to obtain it. If you haven't already thought about these issues, a valid question to ask yourself is: How can I determine if we're really compatible during a short trip to Russia, and during her 3 month fiancee visa trip to my country following our engagement? If you make use of the partner compatibility testing process you will have the benefit of an excellent time saving preparatory tool which provides you with a great short cut in getting to know a lot of important and personal things about someone which can be crucial to the long-term success of a relationship. It reveals a lot of valuable compatibility information about a person from the start, allowing you to move on to a more compatible prospect if there are too many important differences between you. You'll learn things about each other that even persons close to each of you may not know, or were afraid to ask. If you do your preparatory homework properly prior to a trip, you'll lessen the chances of marrying for the wrong reasons.

Tips on how to write a letter are included on this site. Along with your letter we send your Member Profile sheet and photos. We can also send a video interview of you. Be honest and open in your communication. Don't exaggerate who you are or what you have, or have unrealistic expectations or demands of her. There's no sense in deceiving her or expecting the impossible, as you'll both eventually have to confront reality anyway. Save a lot of time and trouble by being straight from the start, enabling you to bypass incompatible or unrealistic possibilities and provide a shortcut to finding the person who likes you for who you are.

On the other hand if you think that you'd like to meet many women, consider certain aspects of this approach very carefully. Please consider the feelings of someone who may have invested a lot of emotion, expense and effort responding to your overtures. She may have taken the time and trouble to travel several days across the country to meet you. Upon meeting her, don't quickly dismiss her as a serious candidate due to a snap judgment on your part, or too tight of a social agenda. Please don't instantly judge her in this initial meeting based on the superficial glamour-industry criteria so common in American culture. Keep in mind that you'll have to live with her personality, attitude and values long after you may tire of her looks, or her looks are gone.

Give these women the attention and respect they deserve, and please don't trifle with the feelings of these wonderful women who have gone to such trouble to be there for you! We ask that you treat them with dignity and respect and also reimburse them for any substantial expenses. If a woman does not reside in an area where you will stay, she will incur travel and lodging expenses. Although inexpensive by Western standards, this can truly deplete her resources, or be financially impossible without your help. We never want to put a woman in a situation described in a TV news report, in which a woman sold all of her possessions in order to travel across Russia, just to attend a social sponsored by another company where the women significantly outnumbered the men. A typical Russian woman may not have a lot and wages are very low by our standards. Around $58 a month were average wages of Russian people according to a report a few years ago. Wages have since risen somehat. However, she may be too proud or embarrassed to discuss her financial situation. So be a gentleman and take the lead here. Also, if a woman is coming a long distance to meet you, it is important to get your itinerary establish several weeks in advance. There's nothing much more frustrating for either of you, than to fail to connect due to improper advance planning or poor communication.

It is impossible for us to make certain that all representations by all participants are accurate and most representations are taken at face value. We reserve the right to terminate anyone of we become aware of willful misrepresentation. In contrast, a 6/3/95 Moscow Times article refers to allegations that European Connections' owner knowingly bought and featured photos of unavailable models who were portrayed as prospective marriage partners in their catalogs. And on 5/25/95 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette exposed their Moscow coordinator, described as a "flimflam man par excellence", as a fugitive from U.S. justice after personally bilking numerous persons in the United States.

The scams have worsened with the ease of use of fraudulent e-mail and popularity of internet dating where anyone can pretend to be anybody, and use or steal pictures of anyone they want to pretend to be. Scammers accumulate e-mail addresses of men who are looking for relationships and mass-mail numerous men seemingly sincere e-mails and phony photos portraying themself as a beautiful woman looking for marriage. After enticing the victim into an online relationship where emotions and false trust are developed, there is invariably an eventual request for money for some type of an emergency or for a plane ticket to come and visit the victim - and of course the man doesn't know that the woman simply cannot visit the U.S. without a legitimate visa (for example, a fiancee visa requires that the man visit her in her country first and he must apply for the visa before she can visit him in his country. She simply cannot ordinarily get a visitors visa to visit him in his country). We have personally talked to several men who have been victimized. One of these men even sent over a considerable amount of money after being warned by the Western Union office in his area that approximately a dozen other men were also sending this same woman money through Western Union. Moreover even after some of these men get wise to a particular fictitious (or real) woman scammer, they incredulously begin new communications with the same or a new scammer who conveniently starts e-mailing them new photos and a different creative identity of another fictitious woman they have created, and the scam starts all over again.

Some ladies may exaggerate their familiarity with English. The use of translation services is often advisable. Some may not present their language ability accurately out of fear that men won't write or visit. Some of the ladies have very good written English but may not speak as well as they write. Men who handle this situation sensitively can foster a receptive attitude and gain respect from these beautiful women who are so eager for the chance to participate in this program. Clarification of this issue early on represents a great opportunity to offer assistance. We can provide written and verbal translations and enhance the clarity and quality of your communication. Moreover, you will show her that you are making an effort to be aware of, and sensitive to her needs. Despite language limitations, this isn't a major problem, since experience has shown that many women are very resourceful in getting letters deciphered and replies translated. Also some of the women are truly fluent in English as English is popular choice of a required course of a foreign language study in schools in Russia.

A challenge to this industry is how to conduct business in a humane way while reducing risk for all parties involved. Optimizing the success of our male members and minimizing any hurt on the other end can often be at odds, partly due to the overwhelming number of women available compared to the number of men who join our program and contact them, and the even fewer men yet who actually make the trip. Try to imagine the Russian side of the equation. As a woman who has ventured into this relationship opportunity, you get featured in albums and a web site competing with a lot of beautiful women for the attention of relatively few men. You may get some interest letters, but by definition, your chances for actual marriage are slim. You are hoping to make a contact that will lead to love with a good man and a chance for a better life. If you are lucky enough to appeal to a man who is willing and able to travel to Russia to meet you, you will probably be competing with other women he has contacted, who may also be meeting him during his visit. If against the odds, you should be the one fortunate enough to be offered a marriage proposal, the price will be that you must leave your family and friends to go to a country where you don't know anyone else. You'll have to master another language, adapt to another culture, and if you plan to work or pursue a career, you may have to start all over again. With these uncertainties, you hope that the man is who he seems to be and the marriage is worth the risk.

From the male's standpoint, a man might think that having various beautiful women at his disposal is not a bad problem to have. Nevertheless it can be. The very same characteristics that make some of these women so receptive and eager, can put them at considerable emotional risk in respect to duplicitious activity on the part of the man. Mistakes in social interaction that might be considered trivial in the West can be serious in the East. Against some zero-tolerance aspects of a difficult life in Russia., the line between what is perceived as a mistake vs. dishonesty may not be seen at all. A thoughtless indiscretion in a relationship situation in another culture can have harmful ramifications.

In America we've become accustomed to a land in which there is often a safety net to protect us from errors in judgment, and foolish or counterproductive behavior. In some other less fortunate countries there may be no second chances. In contrast to the perplexing behavior displayed by some American women in your attempts to meet and court them, playing hard to get or acting haughty has no practical value in this international courtship situation. Moreover, these women are more likely to say what they mean and mean what they say, rather than engage in polite dishonesty, issue avoidance or question evasion when dealing with uncomfortable issues. Having the advantage of financial leverage, even a man with a kind soul who has been alone too long, may find his personal integrity tested to the limits. So please say what you mean and mean what you say, and do not take advantage of these wonderful, sincere women. And if you've got character flaws, have the courage to work on them. Don't think that someone from afar is the solution.

Some ladies have complained quite bitterly about their treatment by various agencies (there are many Cinderella stories as well). We have chosen to address these issues and implement our beliefs in the nature and structure of the program we offer. We hope that you will appreciate the wisdom of our approach, and our sincere concern for all persons involved. By using our services you join us in fostering dignity and ethics in this marketplace.

After you have accomplished what you set out to do, and have reaped the rewards of taking this approach, you may wonder why others haven't done the same thing. You are a practical and resourceful man who has thought through a problem and found an innovative way to solve it. As a result, you're likely to have found a partner from abroad who like you, discovered an innovative solution to a need and had the courage to take a risk.

After all the effort, disappointment and heartache you may have experienced with American women, it is truly amazing, and almost unbelieveable to some, that you are simply able to go to another part of the world to find a marital relationship with a wonderful women you've heretofore only dreamed about, and in some cases given up hope of ever finding. It can be a fairy tale come true for both of you, if you have heeded the advice we've provided and utilized the relationship tools we've made available. May you both live happily ever after.

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