re: russian ladies, it's probably the only place where pilot can have local girlfriend and overall life much better and much more exciting than at home.
IF NOT THAT DAMN "VLEK" Medical.. If they have us foreigners to pass the full Russian standard medical, it takes easily upto 2 weeks, lots of money for extra tests, and is at least twice more restrictive than regular JAR-FCL3 standard
For example - you have to have ALL of your teeth healthy in order to pass. Not a single tooth caries is permitted, believe it or not.