Miami164

The country is emptying. In the past year, I have had 2 friends who have left for jobs in the west making $50000+ a year (They were making around $10 a month). I know several others who are trying.

The Russians do not buy licensed software. In fact, I have never seen any this side of the Urals (East of course). A week after CM was released, I saw my first pirated copy on the streets here. Kind of makes you mad when you know it will be months before you will see your legal copy. It was not sold in great numbers and the people selling it did not really know what it was about. One place had it listed as a "Tank Simulator". As someone stated above, the Russians do not make much money. The started salary for a doctor is $17 and it does not go up much from there. That means that a young doctor would have to work more than 6 months in order to purchase a copy of CM--does not include food. This is why pirating is VERY BIG here. I purchased a new computer here. I installed a licensed version of Windows ME on my machine. The technicial who assembled the computer for said to me when he saw my licensed copy thought that I was "foolish" for spending the money on a licensed copy when I could have purchased a cheaper copy (Like for $3) :eek:

I am not Russian, but I live in central Siberia. I dont' know of too many CM fans in Russia (1 to be exact). Most people could not afford the price tag for a registered copy. I had mine purchased in the States and mailed to me. I believe that I had the first (and maybe only legal) copy of CM in Russia.