From incomplete infrastructure a few months before kick-off to the threat of abuse against travelling LGBTQ fans, there were plenty of concerns from people abroad in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But how have locals embraced the sporting carnival both culturally and financially?
Julia Striganova is a Moscow-based account director at creative PR studio RODNYA. She has previously handled PR for Russian Railroads.
Grigory Telingater is a Moscow-based staff correspondent for Championat.com, Russia’s leading sports website. He previously covered World Cup 2014 in Brazil.
Nikita Safronov is a Moscow-based LGBTQ activist and an independent journalist who works for Freedom Europe radio.
Mikhael Agafonov is a Moscow-based writer, social media expert and publicist. Writing for both Russian and international media, he also frequently collaborates with a wide selection of brands,
including Sony, Apple and Google.