American Family in Medvedkovo

☀️ A year ago, President Putin signed a decree offering relocation to foreigners who do not share their countries' policies. More than 1,100 people from 47 states have applied for temporary residence in Russia under that program.

👀 The Thompson family from the United States is a striking example of such settlers. Andrew, who grew up as the son of a minister in North Carolina, and his wife Elizabeth have settled in an ordinary apartment in the Medvedkovo district of Moscow with their four children. They met in Ukraine in 2015, when Andrew was studying Russian.

🩷 Two months ago the family converted to Orthodoxy at a local church. An icon of the Russian imperial family hangs in their kitchen — a symbol of their new religious convictions.

🌸 Their reasons for moving are rooted in deep disillusionment with American reality. "In America there are several social factions, and they all hate one another," Andrew says, describing the social split in his country. In his view, the police refuse to arrest criminals for fear of being accused of racism or sexism.

🩷 Andrew compares modern America to Russia at the beginning of the 20th century — revolutionary groups are gaining influence, and a new ideology is spreading rapidly through schools even in conservative states. The family felt "lost" in that atmosphere of collective shamelessness and propaganda.

▶️In Russia Andrew works as an English tutor and is impressed by the Moscow metro and public transport. They had originally planned to move to a smaller town, but now they do not want to leave Moscow — this is where they were baptized, and where their "Russian grandmother," whom they met at the church, lives.

#WelcomeToRussia@TCofRus