Russian women who chose to become mail order brides do it to escape economical misery.

Most women who decide to look for husbands abroad do it NOT because they want an automatic washing machine and hamburgers. Those things are available to people in their societies also. Truly harsh conditions no longer exist in large cities where the majority of Internet mail order brides reside. Think about it, some people in your society also live in trailers! The myth about economical misery is as good as your knowledge of those societies.
Over the last decade, the world has changed dramatically and life conditions evolved not only in your country. Since the invention of the World Wide Web, technology has rapidly expanded across the globe. It is only in smaller regional towns that you can find conditions that are typically shown in Hollywood movies about Russia and Asia. As you know, lives in small towns in your country are also different from life in big cities, although the gap in foreign countries may be larger.

Regarding Russians, in general, Russian people do not consider their life miserable. In fact, they are proud to be Russians!
Russian people believe that they live in a great country, which might have some problems but overall, it is a great country. Just like you believe you live in a great country too. Russians also have their pride in being citizens of the largest country in the world, stretching over 11 time zones and which nearly twice as big as the second largest country in the world - Canada. The majority of Russian people do not think living in the USA, or Canada, or Australia is such a privilege. People that grew up in Soviet Russia all sincerely believed that they were lucky to be born in the USSR and most of them still do. Families of Russian women married to western men rarely express a desire to immigrate to those countries. They don't want to leave Russia. They enjoy traveling internationally but they don't want to emigrate.
It is a myth that Russian women search for a foreign husband to escape economical misery. This is not applicable to the majority of Russian women whose listings you see on the Internet and this was not my personal motivation either (you will read my own story in greater detail later).
Many Russian women seeking marriage abroad have advanced careers and live well even according to western standards, having paid housekeepers and nannies for their children. The conditions of life in a major Russian city such as Moscow or St. Petersburg are comparable to any European capital. Pace of life in Moscow is similar to the one of New York City.

Yes, there are some Russian women that use search for a foreign husband as the means to escape poverty, but they are a minority. Some women in your society also use marriage as means of economical escape. Comparatively, the percentages are virtually the same

The real reason why Russian women turn to seek husbands abroad is that they cannot find suitable marriage partners in Russia. Yes, it is that simple!
You might think that a beautiful, slender, physically fit, educated and intelligent woman cannot really have problems with male admirers and you would be right: attractive women in Russia do have dating offers from Russian men. But those men are seeking only casual sex. They are either already married, or unwilling to commit, or they are not worthy of marrying because they cannot provide for a family.

Since all Russian women want children in their marriages (unless they are physically unable), that’s part of the culture; they seek men who will be able to support their family while she is unable to work while caring for the child or children. Most women in Russia take full time care of their children up to the age of 3. This tradition was inherited from the Soviet times when their work position was preserved for 3 years after child birth, with fully paid maternity leave for 18 months and unpaid leave for another 18 months. Nowadays they do not pay the maternity leave but women believe it is right to stay at home with your baby when she is small and seek men who are able to provide for their families.

Russian people marry early and by the age of 22 more than 50% of people are already married. By the age of 25 about 80% of people are married. Since there are less men than women in Russia (10 million more women than men, according to the latest census), and even less men who are worthy, the competition for eligible men is extremely harsh. As a result, the men become spoiled and promiscuous.
It might be hard to believe but a normal man who has a stable job (being able to solely provide for his family), is career and health conscious, and willing to commit, seems like a fairy tale prince to a single Russian woman. Guys like this are scarce in Russia and not available for long.

In contrast, good-looking women are in abundance in Russia, since the tough competition drives women to perfect their looks.

Historically, during the 20th century Russia had many wars, with World War II alone taking 20 million lives and another 20 million of people died in Stalin’s concentration camps. Nearly 90% of those victims were men. After the war, simply having a man was a blessing. Then there was the 14-year Afghanistan conflict in which hundreds of thousands of young Russian men died. Throughout the entire 20th century Russian women had to compete to ensure they had a husband.
Now they've got Chechnya - since 1993, just a few years after Russian troops left Afghanistan.

It is scientifically proven that where there are many more women in society than men, men tend to pursue short-term sexual strategies and are unwilling to commit. Along with other cultural moments, such as traditions of hard drinking and male chauvinism in Russia, it is no wonder that contemporary Russian women seize the opportunities offered by modern technologies and elect to broaden their horizons in their search for a suitable mate.