Canadian who moved his family to Russia for ‘traditional values’ says he no longer recommends it: permanent residency would require signing a Defense Ministry contract — Meduza
meduza.io
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.

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.

  • mzesumzira@leminal.spaceEnglish
    32·
    4 hours ago

    Even assuming that’s an accurate picture, “I don’t care what you do as long as I don’t have to acknowledge you exist” is still homophobia.

      • yucandu@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        3 hours ago

        The statute amended the Russian law On Protecting Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development and the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses, to prohibit the distribution of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships” among minors. This definition includes materials that “raise interest in” such relationships, cause minors to “form non-traditional sexual predispositions”, or “[present] distorted ideas about the equal social value of traditional and non-traditional sexual relationships.”

        That sounds pretty specifically about criminalizing homosexuality.

        • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          25 minutes ago

          America and Europe don’t seem to mind so much, as long as you give them all your natural resources you can persecute whomever you want.

          You’re just pinkwashing imperialism.