Russian brides?

In my country (Norway) there are quite a few marriages between Norwegian men and women from Thailand and the Philipines. I believe a lot of them start out on the internet, but not through a matchmaking service. More like match.com, and similar websites.
Like your friend, a lot of men here (especially after 35) are finding it difficult to find a partner. Norwegian women are some of the most highly educated, independant and self-sufficiant women on the planet. And I think a lot of men find these women very intimidating. It is more comfortable for them to marry a woman from a culture that is more traditional. Don't get me wrong, Norwegian women are family oriented, and Thai and Philipino women often have education and jobs, but I hope you get what I'm trying to say.
I know some very happy couples who met online like this, and I know some very unhappy couples.

The dark side of this is of course that some women stick it out for the mandatory two years, and achieve citizenship and then demand a divorce. Completely blindsiding the husband.
And some men marry a woman basically to use her for sex, housework and baby machine (although the babies are less worth than their first children with their Norwegian ex-wives). It is incredibly upsetting to see some of the things that are being done to these women. And incredibly upsetting to see men who are blindsided with divorcepapers.
You just never know the other person's true intentions. It's a gamble. But any relationship is a gamble.

But one of my close work friends is a Philipino woman. She has been married to her Norwefian husband for 16 years after meeting online. They are both in their 50's, and have the happiest marriage of anyone I know!
She has told me her husband was very worried she was going to leave him after the mandatory two years of marriage. He had seen it happen to several of his friends who married Thai and Philipino women.
I guess my friend and her husband was truly a love match, and his friends weren't that fortunate.

I don't think there is anything wrong with marrying to better your situation. Isn't that what we are all doing when we marry? Try to make out lives better?
But it will not last unless love grows out of it. And you can never know if that will happen.

I wish your friend the best of luck. And I applaud him for taking a risk and going for what he wants!

Just wanted to confirm that not all Russian brides are poor women from poor families. You will find highly educated women, including doctors, trying to not only escape Russia but more specifically Russian men. There is a very practical side to their approach to life and romantic relationships: it's about having someone who's loyal to you, doesn't heavily drink/party and with whom you can build a family.

I think the most important factor to consider is the difference in culture and the more "harsh" nature of Eastern European women. That edge can create a lot of confusion and miscommunication, especially if the bride isn't fluent in English. There shouldn't be American expectations fot the timeline of things like saying I love no matter how tempting it is to fall into that biased view of life and relationships. I would highly, highly encourage learning the Russian language to help bridge the gap and create a sense of comfort for the Russian wife-to-be if your family member does move along with this approach, amp .

Good decision! 👍🏻