The anti-smoking campaigns really haven't kicked in yet. I recall seeing many more homeless people in the large U.S. cities than in St. Petersburg and Moscow. We encountered a few children and elderly women begging for money, but not a substantial amount. We didn't get to go to the rural areas, where the standard of living is much lower. We were told that it takes a minimum of 1 million rubles a month to live in Russia.
Most people hold two or three jobs in order to make that or a little more.
Most still have to work in order to support themselves . We were then taken to the train station for the overnight trip to Moscow. Several members of our group purchased alcohol aboard the train to continue the partying. There was much singing, loud talk, and even some dancing, which brought a few policemen to our private car. They asked to see the passports of the main participants, then demanded money.