2026-04-05 –, The Rabbit Hole
Europe is doing a more or less good job to prevent trade between Russia and the democratic parts of the world. But aside from (legal) economy and the big headlines about Russia's shadow fleet ; did you ever wonder how the Russian underground, the black market and illegal trade is affected by European sanctions ?
This talk is about the highs and lows from the Russian black market, smuggler tales and my personal rant about sex, drugs and Russian rolling stock.
I like trains <3.
Please note: Smartphones, cameras and microphones are not permitted in the audience.
I will share insights learned from exchanging with people in the underground, tips and tricks for late-night interrogations by Russia's Secret Service, useful life-hacks for smugglers at the Russian border, how the European sanctions affect the Russian black market, its effect on European black market business and why you should avoid using your radio while sneaking around [CENSORED, sincerely, your ФСБ] at night.
Disclaimer : This talk contains no content considered illegal under the jurisdiction of France, Germany and the European Union in general. If you are professionally interested in the other face of the story or further details please reach out to me in person (mail address in speaker's profile).
Member states of the European Union discourage from traveling to the Russian Federation. You should respect this travel warning.
I like trains, they are cute <3.
Hey, I'm The one with the braid, I travel a lot and do [matrix] for work. Ask me about night trains, encryption, paranoid data security and federated systems.
I've been traveling by trains and public transport around the globe for a couple of years now, especially to places others would not travel to these days, mostly in eastern Europe, the Arabic world and central Asia.
I might have controversial opinions but I'm always willing to learn more.
Feel free to contact me !