A growing number of Western citizens are turning their backs on their home countries, seeking a new life in Russia under a controversial visa scheme promoting 'traditional values'. According to official figures from the Russian interior ministry, 2,275 Westerners have applied for the new 'shared values' visa since its introduction by President Vladimir Putin in August last year.
A Family's Leap of Faith from Texas to Ivanovo
Imagine relocating your entire family to a country you have never visited, with an unfamiliar culture and a language you do not speak. Now, imagine that your new homeland is actively at war. This is the reality for the Hare family, who moved from the United States to Russia two years ago, citing a feeling of persecution.
Leo and Chantelle Hare, devout Christians from Texas, made the drastic move with their three sons, now aged 17, 15, and 12. They describe themselves as 'moral migrants', driven away by cultural shifts in America. "We were noticing a great upsurge in LGBT-type policies coming into the government, especially the school system," Leo Hare explains. His wife, Chantelle, adds a starker perspective: "This is a complete demonic attack against the conservative Christian families."
Their new home is an apartment in Ivanovo, a city 150 miles from Moscow—a world away from their previous life on a Texan farm with its own shooting range. However, in a nation where so-called "LGBT propaganda" is outlawed, they insist they feel safer. "There are laws that say: 'no you can't just run wild and have gay pride parades and dance in front of all the children'. You can't do this. I like this," Leo states. The family's asylum status was officially granted last year in a ceremony broadcast on Russian state television.
The Ideological Pull of Putin's Russia
The Hare family's story is part of a broader trend. The shared values visa is explicitly aimed at individuals who believe the West has become 'too woke'. It offers citizens from nations Russia deems 'unfriendly'—including the UK, US, and most EU countries—a three-year residency permit. Crucially, applicants do not need to meet any language proficiency or specific skills criteria.
This ideological appeal is clear for people like Philip Port from Burnley. Despite running a visa agency that helps Russians move to the UK, Port has applied for the shared values visa himself, citing both practical and ideological reasons. "I love Russia," he says unapologetically, describing it as "safe as houses" with "no crime, clean streets, and well-developed" infrastructure.
His view of Britain is far less complimentary. "I'm all for gay rights, don't get me wrong, but I think when they're teaching them to children in school - I've got a seven-year-old son, I don't want him being influenced in that way."
The Practicalities and Pitfalls of a New Life
Demand for this new pathway appears significant. Philip Hutchinson, of the company Moscow Connect which assists Westerners with their applications, reports receiving between 50 and 80 inquiries per week from the UK alone. Hutchinson, a former local Conservative Party candidate, moved to Moscow after his Russian wife struggled to get a UK visa.
When questioned about the ongoing war in Ukraine, Hutchinson expresses a common sentiment among these newcomers: "It doesn't [bother me]. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not getting involved in that. You know, I'm not here to deal with politics."
However, the transition is not always smooth. The Hare family revealed they were scammed out of $50,000 (£38,200) by the family who initially hosted them. Furthermore, their two eldest sons have since returned to America due to an unforeseen obstacle: their inability to secure a school place, as Russian state education requires children to speak the language.
Reflecting on their challenging journey, Leo Hare admits, "Moving so fast? Probably." Yet, he frames their ordeal through a lens of faith: "At times though, your pathway in life takes you places you wouldn't have willingly gone. But through God and providence you're meant to go through this."
While the Russian government, through lawmaker Maria Butina, insists it is not running a recruitment campaign and that migrants come at their own expense, the phenomenon provides positive publicity for a state marketing itself as a bastion of conservative ideals.
