Despite the Russian government’s active anti-Western stance, some citizens of so-called “unfriendly countries,” meaning Western states, choose to live in Russia. Typically, the Kremlin welcomes them if they agree to support “traditional values” and criticize the West.

The list of “unfriendly countries” is an official document that currently includes 47 nations and territories. Among them are nearly all EU member states, Ukraine, the US, Japan and South Korea.

In January, a group of EU citizens met with the governor of Ivanovo Region in the small town of Shuya, as local publication reported. Also present was Maria Butina, who served jail time in the US for acting as an “unregistered agent” of the Russian government before returning to Russia and becoming a Duma deputy.

On her Telegram channel, she wrote: “the main reason foreigners from faraway countries relocate is disagreement with gender policies back home. In Russia, they feel at home thanks to the spiritual values they share with us.”

The Russian government has even introduced special visas for citizens of Western countries who “share traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.”

The Russian exile media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe spoke with several foreigners from “unfriendly countries” to learn why they moved to Russia. One woman from an Asian country, who asked to keep her nationality anonymous, called her homeland “a vassal of America.” She said the same day she prayed to God for a sign about whether to move to Russia, the special visas were rolled out, which she took it as a sign and relocated.

“I was very intrigued by President Putin. I think he is very smart. I enjoy listening to him speak. He is different from other politicians because he does not engage in empty talk, he makes long-term strategic decisions, whereas in the West, politicians are fragmented and cannot see the big picture,” she told Novaya Gazeta Europe.

In April, a German citizen named Maxim Zhitnikov publicly asked Putin to help him to obtain Russian citizenship. His wife is Russian, and they wanted to raise their children with traditional values.

“Everyone knows that modern Europe and Germany is leading the world in the promotion of nontraditional values. But we do not share those. And we do not want those so-called values forced on our children. We want our children to have the opportunity, the chance to make the right choice for themselves. It should be their independent, informed decision. So when the question arose of where to go, to flee, my wife said: ‘we are going to Russia, [we are going] home,’” Zhitnikov was quoted as saying by the Russian daily Kommersant.

In May, Zhitnikov received a Russian passport.

Journalists from the global Russian-speaking media RTVI spoke with immigration firms, which said the war in Ukraine has only increased interest among foreigners in moving to or visiting Russia.

“It’s no secret that quite a few foreigners living in so-called ‘unfriendly’ countries actually support Russia,” said a representative from one firm in an interview. “They understand that Russia is one of the few countries that can pursue an independent policy, has real sovereignty and does not have to listen to Western nations. Besides, they see that for over two years, Russia has been conducting a special military operation, which is very tough by itself, is under more than 20,000 sanctions and yet still shows stable economic growth, outpacing Western countries and the US. In their view, if Russia can handle all this, it’s definitely where they should go to build a better future.”

Russia has also become something of a refuge for people wanted for crimes in the West. In May, journalists from RFE/RL and its project Current Time discovered that Edward Snowden, who ended up in Russia in 2013 after leaking classified documents, some of which pointed to mass surveillance by US intelligence, had become a tax resident of Lyubertsy, a town in Moscow Region. He received Russian citizenship in 2022.

The irony is that Lyubertsy is far from a prestigious place to live, populated mostly by labor migrants, many of whom are undocumented. The Russian media project Redaktsiya, run by Alexei Pivovarov, released a documentary about the area nearby titled “There Are More Migrants than Russians Here,” with locals complaining about the influx.

The government has hired bloggers who run social media accounts aimed at Western audiences to showcase the bright side of life in Russia. One of the most well-known is Alexandra Yost, who is known on the internet as “Sasha Meets Russia.” She was born to an American father and a Russian mother and, according to her, decided to move to Russia at 19. On her English-language blog, she goes to various Russian regions. In an interview with the Russian TV channel Spas – owned by the Moscow Patriarchate – she said her videos make foreigners fall in love with Russia.

“A lot of people write to me saying they want to come here, to see different regions. Some even want to travel with me. And some want to move here because many people abroad who want traditional values are now looking for a path to Russia,” Yost said.

Novaya Gazeta Europe and Important Stories, another Russian exile media, discovered that Yost was paid by the state propaganda outlet RT for her content. Her social media accounts were later deleted, but she continues to run a Telegram channel and posts videos on Rutube, a Russian video platform.

“Russia puts family first. It was a beautiful sight to see different generations, religions and ethnic groups all marching together in honor of traditional family values! Sadly, you do not see this very often in the West anymore,” Yost said in one of her videos from a “family parade.”