cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11690348
Canadian farmer Arend Feenstra, who moved to Russia through a streamlined immigration program for citizens of “unfriendly” countries who share “traditional values,” has complained that he cannot get a permanent residence permit. The news outlet Nizhny Novgorod Onlain drew attention to his YouTube video.
Feenstra received a three-year temporary residence permit in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region in early 2025. He then brought his wife and eight children to Russia and began farming.
But Feenstra has now learned that to replace his temporary residence permit with a permanent one, he must sign a contract with Russia’s Defense Ministry.
“I didn’t come here to sign a contract […] I have eight young children […] I’d rather take my chances in Canada, though I think living there is risky too,” Feenstra said.
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He also said his family no longer recommends that other foreigners move to Russia because the authorities keep changing the rules and “there’s no way forward.”
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Wants war
Hates migrants
Becomes migrant
Refuses to fight in war🤔
Nobody ever accused them of practicing critical thinking.
This guy has been making headlines like this for a long time. This bit in Daily Kos, from just over a year ago, includes him, for example.
One thing to bear in mind: These folks are very, very few in number, but they’re making a lot of noise. The foolishness of their choices is getting them a lot of media amplification. They’re infamous. They don’t represent a real trend of “moving to Russia for traditional values.” They’re really just examples of the much more general “doing outrageous things for online clout” phenomenon. They turn their lives into catastrophes for attention. De-influencers? Is there a name for this?
Ukrainian men can’t even leave, and they have their own traditional values.
