(LifeSiteNews) — An initiative launched by the Russian government is seeking to lure conservative Westerners fed up with “destructive neoliberal ideology” to relocate to the nation.
On August 19, President Vladimir Putin signed the Shared Values Visa (SVV) to allow foreigners seeking “humanitarian support” temporary residence in Russia. The measure does not require applicants to have knowledge of Russian history or the ability to speak the Russian language.
The program, which will start accepting applicants in September, is part of a larger “Move to Russia” effort marketed to Westerners. An X account and a slick-looking website designed for English speakers are seemingly part of its marketing plan.
On Shared Values Visa in Russia – important information post, kindly share widely.
The New Shared Values Visa that was announced on the 19th of August by president Vladimir Putin allowing citizens from countries that impose destructive neoliberal ideological tenets contrary to… pic.twitter.com/7zEgL2877L
— MoveToRussia.com (@MoveToRussiaCom) August 24, 2024
A press release issued by the Russian News Agency notes that the government will soon release a list of countries that are “imposing unhealthy attitudes on their citizens.” Three-month visas are expected to be approved for persons from said countries in the coming days.
Andrew Henderson, host of YouTube channel Nomad Capitalist, has provided an analysis of the SVV, including how it works, and the economic and political implications persons interested in pursuing the visa should be aware of.
The SVV is seemingly part of a larger, anti-woke push by the Russian government under Putin, who has not been shy about expressing disdain for what he has called the “satanic” West.
At various times over the past five years, Putin has decried “Western globalist elites” for embracing LGBT ideology, including allowing homosexuals to adopt children and permitting “sex-change” operations, which are illegal in Russia.
LGBT propaganda is currently outlawed in Russia, although abortion is legal up until the 12th week of pregnancy.
At the World Youth Festival in Russia in March, Putin remarked that everyone is equal because they are born to a “mother and father … it is always a male and a female parent.”
At the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi in 2021, he also denounced those who promote “cancel culture,” equating them to the Bolsheviks who instigated the 1917 Communist Revolution in Russia.
The SVV reiterates these sentiments while noting that family life, spirituality, and morality are values the program looks for in applicants.
In 2023, The Moscow Times reported that around 200 families from the U.S. and Canada were allegedly interested in moving to a “migrant village” that was scheduled to be erected in the country in 2024, though it is unclear if their relocation ever occurred. At the same time, a Traditional Catholic family with six children that previously lived in Kansas moved to Russia in 2023. Their story was featured on a Russian TV network.
Russia’s 146 million population is more than 60 percent Orthodox and less than 0.5 percent Catholic.