Is there a better (i.e. cheaper and reliable) way than WU to send money, say $1000, to Russia (Siberia).
Open a account here and give the recipient the access codes?
Prepaid charge card?
Back in the day, I used to have a Russian contract employee in St. Petersburg. The postal system is notoriously corrupt, and shit would get stolen (credit cards in particular). I ended up opening an account here in the U.S. in his name and sent him the ATM card hidden in the back of a CD case. I then just direct deposited to his account and he withdrew money from an ATM in Russia.
I guess this might work for a pre-paid debit card.
I have used Meest Corporation to Ukraine with very good service. They also have connections to Russia.
If you know your friend’s bank account number in Russia, you might want to ask your bank about doing a “SWIFT” inter-bank transfer. (stands for something like "System of Worldwide International Fund Transfer,and is used by all major banks. It costs a lot (maybe $10) but is 100% safe, and the money is available the same day.