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Germans Seeking “Traditional Values” in Russia Featured in Kremlin Media Campaign
Videos showing Germans who have relocated to Russia in search of “traditional values” are garnering hundreds of thousands of views across social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube. These immigrants have become regular fixtures on Russian state television, bolstering the Kremlin’s narrative of a mass exodus from Western countries to Russia.
The Russian government has formalized this approach. In August 2024, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree “for the humanitarian support of persons who share traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.” This policy allows such foreigners to receive expedited residency permits without meeting standard requirements regarding knowledge of Russian language or history. A subsequent December decree specifically targeted the recruitment of successful foreigners in fields ranging from culture to sports.
State media has placed particular emphasis on immigrants without Russian ancestry. Remo and Birgit Kirsch from Potsdam, Germany, who settled in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, have become prominent examples in this campaign.
In an interview with DW, Remo Kirsch explained his motivation for leaving Germany, citing what he describes as a loss of traditional values in the West. “We don’t want to be part of that system. We want to live in peace and quiet in the countryside,” he said, expressing opposition to “gender and LGBT policy” without elaborating on how such policies personally affected him.
Kirsch appears unconcerned about the contradiction between his stated desire for peace and relocating to a country engaged in an ongoing war against its neighbor. In 2021, he sold his German farm and purchased several hectares in Nizhny Novgorod, where he plans to build an eco-village for like-minded immigrants.
His connections to Russian authorities are evident. Recently appointed as an advisor to the regional governor, Kirsch received fast-tracked citizenship through direct orders from Putin himself. While German media has reported that the Kirsch family is part of a propaganda network designed to improve Russia’s international image, Kirsch maintains he’s simply presenting an unbiased reality without compensation, though he acknowledges his citizenship may have been a “reward.”
Similar fast-tracking occurred for German chef Maksim Zitnikov, who requested citizenship directly from Putin during an April 2025 video conference and received it just one month later—a process that typically takes years. Zitnikov claims he left Germany in 2023 to protect his children from “non-traditional values,” though reports indicate he also faced significant financial troubles in Germany, including bankruptcy proceedings against his catering business.
According to the Moscow-based Civic Assistance Committee, most Germans relocating to Russia today have historical ties to the region, having been moved to Germany from Soviet-controlled areas of Eastern Europe as children after World War II. One such case is Katharina Minich, a nurse from western Germany who moved to Russia in 2016, claiming German child protection services had taken her daughters. Russian media extensively covered her story, but it later emerged that her daughter Melissa returned to Germany upon reaching adulthood, reportedly accusing both parents of abuse.
The narrative of Western authorities unfairly separating families has gained traction in Russia, though statistics show Russian parents actually face a higher risk of losing parental rights per thousand children than those in Germany.
The relocation stories often spread through social media influencers like Liza Graf, whose German-language videos reach hundreds of thousands of viewers. Independent Russian-language media outlet IStories reports that many of these bloggers arrive in Russia through press junkets organized by Duma Representative Maria Butina, founder of the “Welcome to Russia” foundation.
This organization partners with others like Austrian-born Martin Held’s “Moya Rossiya” (My Russia), which specializes in German immigration. These groups offer relocation advice, language courses, and travel arrangements, with the My Russia website claiming it has received over 170,000 requests for assistance.
According to investigations by IStories and Austrian newspaper The Standard, Held’s organization and similar projects are allegedly financed by RT (formerly Russia Today), a state-controlled news outlet. Journalists estimate Held may have received up to half a million euros from RT, though Held denies these claims, stating, “Neither I myself, nor any of my businesses or projects have ever received money, advantage or any other benefit from the Russian Federation, in particular RT.”
Despite the Kremlin’s narrative of mass migration from the West, official statistics tell a different story. Russian Interior Ministry data shows just 369 German citizens relocated to Russia in the year following Putin’s “Shared Values Decree.” Jakob Pinneker, whose recruitment agency OKA specializes in attracting foreign workers to Russia, reported relocating only 91 people in its first year of operation.
Konstantin Troizky of the Civic Assistance Committee confirms that despite Russian media portraying a significant exodus of Germans fleeing to Russia, the actual numbers remain very small—contrary to the impression created by the Kremlin’s extensive media campaign.
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10 Comments
This is a concerning development. By offering expedited residency to foreigners who ‘share traditional Russian values,’ Putin is creating a pathway for the Kremlin to influence public opinion abroad. We should be wary of such blatant propaganda efforts.
Yes, the policy of actively recruiting foreigners to promote Russia’s narrative is quite worrying. It’s important to scrutinize these claims and understand the underlying motivations.
Interesting to see how Russia is exploiting the anti-woke sentiment in Germany for propaganda purposes. Portraying Germans as fleeing the West to find ‘traditional values’ in Russia is a clever tactic, even if the reality is likely more complex.
I agree, the Kremlin is clearly using this narrative to bolster their image and attract foreigners. But as you said, the full picture is probably more nuanced.
I’m curious to know more about the specific ‘traditional Russian values’ that are being used to recruit these German immigrants. Is this just a thinly veiled attempt to promote conservative, nationalist ideologies?
This is a worrying trend that deserves closer scrutiny. The Kremlin’s use of state media and expedited residency policies to promote a pro-Russian narrative among foreigners is a concerning threat to democratic discourse. We must remain vigilant and fact-based in our analysis of these developments.
It’s disheartening to see how the anti-woke sentiment in Germany is being exploited for Russian propaganda. We should be vigilant in calling out these manipulative tactics and ensuring the public has access to accurate, unbiased information.
Absolutely. Maintaining a critical eye and fact-checking claims is crucial, especially when it comes to state-sponsored narratives like this one.
While I can understand the appeal of ‘traditional values’ for some, the Kremlin’s efforts to attract foreigners through this narrative are deeply concerning. We must be wary of the underlying political agenda and not let ourselves be swayed by such propaganda.
Well said. It’s important to separate the genuine desire for traditional values from the Kremlin’s cynical exploitation of this sentiment for their own gain.