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
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.
...
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.”
https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/02/canadian-who-moved-his-family-to-russia-for-traditional-values-says-he-no-longer-recommends-it-permanent-residency-would-require-signing-a-defense-ministry-contractOpen linkView original on scribe.disroot.org
42 replies
Those are the traditional values most like. Some try to create the future others try to go back to the good old times and are pissed when nothing was good
Christian nationalists are suckers.
Motherfucker thinks CANADA is “risky” jfc
Imagine having the cash to move 8 kids to Russia to start a farm and then saying “I’ll move back”
Guy is a total idiot, pearl clutching, bible thumper. He can stay there, the dumb bitch.
I feel bad for his kids tho. They had no say in his decision.
Meh, they've still got their citizenship.
Plus a brother, their oldest sibling remained in Canada.
So he has 9 kids, jfc
quiverful indeed
Amen!
someone should drone him in winnipeg just for lulz
As a Canadian, good fucking riddance to anyone who thinks "tradition" is anything other than a dog whistle for Fuck You Got Mine.
Well, it's more often "don't got mine, blame immigrants, and don't like gays either". The richer parts of the population leans pretty progressive.
May all of his 8 kids turn out to be happy and SUPER GAY.
Can we not let them back in? The kids can come back so long as they’re gay, but otherwise he made his choice and should have to pick a new country to hide from people he sees as too different. With Canada off the list, I don’t know what good options he even has left. Maybe North Korea?
As someone who has never been to Canada, what is so risky there that is only slightly comparable to the war in Ukraine?
People may call you a racist, mysogynist, homophobe, and/or transphobe if you act like a racist, mysogynist, homophobe, and/or transphobe.
The risk that his kids will eventually get exposed to the world outside of the right wing media bubble he raised them in.
Nothing, the star of the story is a moron who has been brainwashed by right wing social media.
"""""Traditional family values""""" you mean, of course.
You mean where having religious folk touch your kids and are ok with it or every 2nd guys phone having grinder “traditional values”?
Is there any other way?
My wife did study abroad in Russia 2 decades ago, and they’re pretty gropey on the bus
Yes but also they're in some exceptionally insane fork of Christianity if I recall correctly.
That Venn diagram is a single circle.
They're all insane but there's billions of them so it's exceptional within that context sadly.
Support for children who go no-contact with their parents, support for wives that divorce their husbands.
If you're an abuser, a free society is terrifying.
In Canada, if you are a hate crime organizer, your bank accounts can be frozen if they’re used for funding hate.
That’s the risk he was fleeing from.
There's a chance that you'll get a visit from the local goose council, and they'll force you to sign a goose ministry pact.
You Honked your last chance, buddy!
Propaganda from the same billionaires who fucked over America...
People disagreeing with a Saskatchewan farmer's deep-seeded* beliefs.
(yes, seeded: seeded by Russian bots echoing shitbag conservative talking points. '-seated', too)
Coital info dumps
The barrista forgets to say your welcome when you thank them for your coffee
Absolutely nothing comes close to comparison. This guy is an complete tool and I hope he gets forcefully conscripted into the orcs.
Our Liberal government /s
I was going to bring up how Canada has more crime than here (UK), but turns out it's actually safer... Il see myself out ┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ)
They wanted the benefits without any obligations. Boo hoo
Right? Dude moved to a country with a draft during a war. What did you expect?
Apparently, that the degree to which leopards find a given face appetizing depends on how far to the political left its owner is.
Every generation has its malcontents...
https://translatingcuba.com/the-hippies-gathering-that-fateful-25th-of-september-1968-in-havana/
Ha ha, classic bait and switch!