Emergency Russian

Calling for Help

Medical Emergencies

At the Pharmacy

Russian pharmacies (аптека) are widespread and the pharmacists are generally knowledgeable and helpful. Many medications available only on prescription in Western countries can be purchased over the counter in Russia. This can be useful in an emergency, but use caution and be clear about what you need and why. Pharmacies carry a wide range of international brands alongside Russian equivalents, and prices are generally affordable.

Police and Crime

If you are the victim of a crime in Russia, you should report it to the local police (полиция). For serious incidents, try to find an officer or go to the nearest police station (отдел полиции or отделение полиции). Having your passport details available is important. If you need to make a formal statement (заявление), insist on an interpreter (переводчик) if your Russian is insufficient — you have the right to one.

Contact your country's embassy or consulate as soon as possible in any serious situation — they can provide consular assistance, help with emergency document replacement and, if necessary, provide a list of English-speaking lawyers. Keep your embassy's emergency contact number saved in your phone before you travel.

Lost Passport and Documents

Losing your passport in Russia is a serious situation that requires immediate action. Report the loss to the local police and obtain a police report (справка) documenting the loss — this is required by your embassy to issue an emergency travel document. Contact your embassy as soon as possible; most embassies have emergency out-of-hours numbers for exactly this situation. An emergency travel document can typically be issued within 24–48 hours.

As a precaution, keep a digital copy of your passport, visa and travel insurance documents in a secure cloud storage accessible from any device. Also keep a separate note of your travel insurance emergency number, embassy emergency number and your accommodation address in Russian (useful for showing taxi drivers and officials). Photograph your visa in your passport — visa pages are particularly important to have copies of in Russia.

Natural Disasters and Civil Emergencies

Russia is a vast country with diverse geography, and some regions are prone to specific natural events: the Kamchatka peninsula and Kuril Islands are seismically active; severe winter conditions can affect travel throughout much of the country; summer wildfires occur in Siberia and central Russia. Register with your country's embassy travel registration system before visiting, which ensures your government can contact you in a major emergency situation.

The Russian national emergency warning system broadcasts through television, radio and, increasingly, mobile phone alerts (similar to the US Wireless Emergency Alerts). If you receive an emergency alert on your Russian SIM card, follow the instructions even if you cannot fully understand them — the standard advice to move to higher ground, shelter in place or evacuate will be supplemented by visible emergency service activity that provides context.