You’ll get by—but expect some confusion. Outside the big cities, English isn’t super common. That said, people are often helpful once they figure out you’re lost or trying to ask for something.
What helps:
- Learning the Cyrillic alphabet (surprisingly simple after a few days)
- Downloading Google Translate or Yandex Translate for offline use
- Keeping a few key Russian phrases handy
Don’t expect smooth conversations, but do expect a lot of pointing, miming, and occasionally hilarious misunderstandings.
