I married a Russian but myself am 100% American going back to the 1700's. I can say after hanging out with a lot of Russians in many different contexts they strike me as overall (with many exceptions and generational [Soviet vs. Russia] and gender differences) repressed, nihilistic or pessimistic, dismissive, dislike flattery or praise, macho, homophobic, tend to be alcoholic, cynical, stubborn, fatalistic, white-centric, and yes, tough. I find them to be prone to irrationality and argumentative, especially while drunk.

I personally think its an oft-abused, dark culture that needs to lighten up and get over itself. The raised nail gets pounded down and the individual spirit gets sanded down which really kills creativity, innovation and social connection. When saying hello to a bar mate makes you gay, you live in an idiocracy which we do too but for different reasons. Russia needs Therapy.