Not a tourist but I have some Russian coworkers who left (or fled depending on how you wanna see it) Russia as the war started.

Unsurprisingly, they are just... Well, people. Sure they have a certain culture or mannerisms but not much different from my other eastern european coworkers.

But obviously the ones that would leave Russia might not be quite the same as the ones that are still there today.

You arrive as a tourist and deploy to the front line as a conscript

I've been many times.

Bear in mind, Russia is the country, not the people.

The country is actively and purposefully destabilising multiple countries and are basically terrorists at this point

You can say exactly the same thing about the US

Would you judge a US citizen by their country's actions?

Just try announcing you're a westerner in deepest darkest Russia. I recommend brushing up on your vodka skills because you'll be dragged from house to house like a celebrity and fed until you burst

I'm an American that visited Russia for ~3 weeks in the mid 90s as a budding teenager. I visited Moscow and Dubna, but mostly Dubna. My experience was that Russians don't really engage with strangers on the street. They may also be a bit scornful. For example, I have this story.

I saw snow for the first time in my life on this trip. As such, I was having a blast with it. One time, I made a snowball and threw it at an insignificant street sign on an insignificant street. Some lady walking by yells at me something to the effect of, "Why are you doing that, you little brat‽" My Russian uncle, who was present and translated the lady's comment, behaved as if that was the most normal event ever. If that happened in the US, people would think the lady is a jerk and someone might even tell her off.

Another thing that stuck out to me is that I went ice skating outside at a park. Not one other kid even made an attempt to be my friend. I skated alone the whole time. That would be nearly unheard of in the US too.

However, to not speak only poorly of Russians, as I'm aware that I'm sharing my perspective and they probably have cultural critiques of my behaviors as well (eg the lady that scolded me), I would like to note a positive thing I noticed. If you're friends with a Russian, that person is your legitimate friend. They are loyal and authentic af with each other. Behind closed doors, Russians that have familial or friendly relationships are completely different than what they are like outside. To really get to know Russians and their culture, you have to become a close friend with them. Only then, will you see who each one truly is. I saw that many times. Outside, they where a mask. Inside their homes, they are quite warm, caring, engaged, and emotional. To get an idea, read the letters between Rodya, his sister, and his mom in Crime and Punishment. That's a good example of what they are like with each other.

Pre-Invasion, I worked closely with a number of Russians.

One of them came over here (US) for a few weeks to get a better handle on the software we were developing, and he was a stand-up guy. IF I had run into him in a bar without context, I'd have made a friend. The invasion shot that all to shit, of course. Helluva guy, and a helluva developer. Ticking those two boxes was all I expected.