In light of the Western propaganda portraying life in Russia as a horror show of economic chaos and deprivation, I decided to post an article submitted to me by an ex-pat American who currently resides in Simferopol. Let’s call him Dan. Enjoy:

Just over a year ago my wife and I left the US, bound for Russia. We had just closed our business, sold most of our stuff, and embarked on a new phase of our life. Our reasons for this change were twofold: to care of my wife’s 86 year old mother and take advantage of a new visa Russia recently offered to Westerners called Shared Values Visa. I was, since my college days when I took two Russian culture courses, interested in this country. My interest led me to look for a Slavic wife when I finally got around to that matter in my early 30’s. My wife is a native Ukrainian from the city of Kherson. Besides the first two years of our 25 year marriage, which were spent in her hometown, we lived in the US. We don’t have any major plans for the future besides living with Mama while she is still here.

We are currently living in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, which is, or at least was, a sister city to the capital of our home State in the US. The two cities are similar in size and on the same parallel on the globe. I have not met nor heard of other Americans living in this city. We have come to know many locals here though, through church, or interactions in daily life. Some of them have become our friends. We rent an apartment in a micro district in the central part of the city. There are, I suppose, 5000 people living in the 20 or so apartment buildings in this area.

Russians, using the term in its wider sense of all who are long term residents here, have been very welcoming to us. When they find we are from the US they become very interested to talk with us, and almost all are surprised to meet Americans. They have no prejudices against us; on the contrary, they still have respect for our country and people. This is a little surprising to me due to the current war, which is at least in part between our two nations. Perhaps this goodwill is due to the recent change in leadership in America, which displayed, until very recently, a more friendly attitude towards Russia than the last administration. It would be understandable if this attitude changed here over time, though I still believe that we would be treated well here, as Russians are a thoughtful and hospitable people, and also as we are not in favor of the prevailing attitude in the West towards their country. There is not a reciprocal animosity here that many in the West, and Ukraine, feel towards Russia and Russians. For example, while the Russian language is banned in most of Ukraine, including books in the Russian language (we wished to send one such to my wife’s best friend in Ukraine a couple years ago but were told it would be confiscated at the border), whereas one can still see Ukrainian messaging in businesses here and there in Simferopol.

I remember when the Crimea became part of Russia again in 2014. I was somewhat dismayed at the time. Over the last four years my mind and heart has changed toward Russia however. When Mr. Johnson offered me the chance to write an article about life here I was reluctant, unsure of its utility, but decided that my perspective may be at least interesting, and perhaps even helpful to some in the West, regarding the people living here. I realize many will not believe me when I say that we have yet to meet anyone here who wishes to return to the orbit of Ukraine. While life is currently not easy for many people in Crimea due to the war, and having a business is a challenge at the moment, people still much prefer to be with Russia and would cringe at the idea of being part of Ukraine again. I did meet one man, a scientist during Soviet Union days and now a small business owner, who wished to trade his Russian passport for my American one, to seek the American dream back home, but that is a different matter.

Since Crimea has been Russian many things have improved here, as I understand it. One of the most noticeable differences here compared to before 2014, I have been told, and in contrast to most of the US today, is the amount of effort the government takes to keep their cities clean and improve the outdoor atmosphere, which encourages people to spend time enjoying nature and improves their quality of life. The parks have been largely redone and are much nicer than most I remember in America, the streets are kept clean, and the downtowns are beautified to a very high standard. Homelessness and public drug use are almost non-existent, and crime and corruption has been vastly curtailed in recent years as well. I recently listened to an interview of Col. Douglas Macgregor, a former US army officer with a good grasp of history, it seems to me, wherein he mentioned how 25 years ago people in Germany would have felt comfortable walking through their cities at 3 am at night, but not anymore. In Russia today I would not be afraid to go for a walk middle of the night in a city. Maybe that is largely due to my belief in a Sovereign Protector, but I don’t think it would be foolhardy to do so regardless of that.

It is likely true that a smaller percentage of the people who live in Russia as compared to the West enjoy the luxuries of life, but being a subscriber to the tenets of the Christian faith I don’t believe that is necessarily a bad thing. For all its physical wealth and ease of life I don’t see that Westerners have any more contentment than the Russians I’ve come to know. Basic necessities of life are very cheap here, though the indulgences we have grown accustomed to in the West are out of the reach of many. Lacking such superfluous things one has a better chance, it seems to me, to enjoy a simpler life here and, according to my friend Joe, who is from Algeria and has lived here since he married a Russian lady seven years ago, people have deeper relationships than in the West. I haven’t seen any reason to disagree with him.

I don’t mean to imply that life is perfect here. One sad thing that my wife, whose father was a police officer, often tries to correct is the amount of foul language the youth use in public. It is a shame for a professing Christian nation, but perhaps that will improve in the future. Maybe it is not so different in larger cities in the West but we are from a small town where that was not so common.  But besides that and a few other things, I rather feel life, as it is typically defined, is better here and would not be opposed to spending the rest of my days in Russia. I like it here.  As my wife makes more friends she is coming round to my view as well and possibly, if permitted, we may do just that, God willing.