‘Jesus is our lawyer’ Meet the American family that moved to Russia as ‘ideological immigrants,’ lost all their money, and still plans to stay
Each year, hundreds of people move from Western countries to Russia, braving the country’s notorious bureaucracy and harsh winters in pursuit of the “traditional values” they believe their home countries are losing. The independent Russian outlet People of Baikal recently told the story of the Hare family, who left the U.S. for Russia only to find themselves without money or a clear way to make a living — but remain determined not to return home. Meduza shares a lightly abridged translation of the outlet’s reporting.
‘I helped at my own peril’
“If anybody can share this with Putin, and if he can help us somehow get our money back, everything will be fine,” Chantelle Hare told her YouTube followers.
Users responded in the comments, advising the Americans to deal with their problems themselves. “[Keep] in mind that Putin is the president, not someone you can casually contact to sort out a fraud issue. It’s important to rely on your own efforts,” one person wrote.
Leo, 61, and Chantelle, 51, first arrived in Russia in December 2023, along with their three sons, aged 10 to 16. They were welcomed at the airport in Moscow by American YouTuber Joseph Rose and his Russian wife, Svetlana Anokhina-Rose, who runs an immigration consultancy.
Joseph and Svetlana lived in the U.S. for nine years before relocating to Russia just one week before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The couple was supposed to help the Hares settle into their new life. But the family’s original plans for their first night in Russia fell through.
“They arrived with 12 suitcases in temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius — and had nowhere to go,” Svetlana told People of Baikal. “Through some friends, we quickly found them a hotel and put them up for the night.”
In the days that followed, the Hare family searched for rental accommodations, but they couldn’t find a landlord willing to register them as tenants. Leo attributed the refusals to landlords not wanting the added “responsibility” of renting to foreigners or the extra taxes involved. “I’m not sure that Russians understand what real taxing is,” he said in a video.
Eventually, Svetlana arranged for the Hares to stay with Vitaly Vlasenko, a Baptist pastor she had met through friends. Vitaly owned a farm on the outskirts of Moscow and agreed to let the family stay in two guesthouses on his property rent-free. In return, the Hares would help care for the farm animals.
The family’s early video updates from Russia are overwhelmingly positive, documenting fun new experiences like trying local foods such as reindeer dumplings, borscht, and blini. Leo is shown milking one of the pastor’s goats, calling her a “good old mommy.” Other scenes capture Chantelle making soup and the entire family praying before a meal, with a Russian sign in the background that reads: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”
“The Hares would ask why I was helping them,” Vitaly recalled. “I replied that in the 1990s, when people in Russia were starving, the Americans sent us ‘Bush legs’ [frozen chicken legs exported by the U.S. to Russia] and other humanitarian aid. I’m grateful to America for this, so now I’m trying to help you, as well.”
“I helped at my own peril,” Vitaly added with a nervous laugh.
A few weeks later, the Hares decided to exchange their dollars and cryptocurrency for rubles to purchase a house in Russia. Vitaly called his son, Daniil, a 23-year-old entrepreneur, to the farm. After helping them exchange the money, Daniil suggested an opportunity: his business partners were reselling Chinese trucks in Russia and making lucrative real estate deals in Moscow. The Hares, who described Daniil as having an “aura of honesty and decency,” decided to invest.
The Hares gave the younger Vlasenko five million rubles, or $48,700 — nearly all of their savings.
‘NATO refugees’
Leo and Chantelle Hare describe themselves as “moral immigrants” who left the U.S. for ethical reasons. Russia’s term of choice is similar: “ideological immigrants.” The phrase has become popular over the past year, according to immigration lawyer Timur Beslangurov. “In the past, Russia needed white-collar workers. Now, the focus is on those who support our traditional values,” he told People of Baikal.
For two decades, Beslangurov’s firm has handled migration and visa paperwork for skilled specialists relocating to Russia from the West. “They were provided with the full package — from drivers and personal assistants to huge salaries,” he recalled.
After the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, however, a majority of Western professionals left the country. In their place, a new wave of expats arrived, driven by ideological opposition to their home governments. This group includes businessmen, IT specialists, and designers, but it’s primarily made up of conservative homesteaders with large families.
Beslangurov referred to these newcomers as “radically traditional.” The Russian government’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies, which are frequently condemned by human rights groups, are often part of the appeal for these new residents. However, they do have some concerns about Moscow’s policies. “Sometimes they’re wary of biometric tools,” Beslangurov said. “They’ll ask, ‘Wait, you use biometrics here, too?’ We reassure them — it’s not about surveillance; it’s just for convenience. We’re not living in the stone age.”
The Russian authorities first took notice of these “ideological immigrants” after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In February 2023, Russian State Duma Deputy Dmitry Kuznetsov organized a meeting of “refugees from NATO countries” for expats already living in Russia. Charles Bausman, an American living in Russia who runs the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory site Russia Insider, said at the time, “America used to be a haven for the middle class, but all that’s been destroyed.”
“A White man with an average income is now considered extreme. You can’t imagine what’s going on there! Even a decent woman is hard to find,” Bausman continued.
Bausman speculated that at least one million American citizens would move from the U.S. to Russia — if Moscow were to simplify its immigration laws. “Bureaucracy in Russia is like barbed wire,” agreed another American expat in Russia, Tim Kirby.
In February 2024, Irena Cecchini, an Italian student studying at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, addressed an audience that included Putin at a government-sponsored forum called Strong Ideas for a New Time. She proposed expediting Russian residence permits for “ideologically correct” applicants.
Putin was supportive of the “ideological immigration” idea, and in August 2024, he signed a decree on humanitarian support for incoming foreigners who share Russia’s “traditional spiritual-moral values.” Now, these expats can receive temporary residence permits in Russia without taking a previously mandatory test on Russian language, history, and law.
In September, the Russian government published a list of 47 “unfriendly” countries whose citizens are eligible for this “humanitarian” migration pathway. The list includes almost all E.U. countries (with the exceptions of Hungary and Slovakia), the U.K., the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, and Singapore, among others.
‘We prayed a lot for America to change’
Leo and Chantelle Hare embody the Russian authorities’ ideal of “ideological immigrants.” Devout Christians with three children, the family once ran a small farm in Texas, raising hens, ducks, and turkeys. Leo operated a carpet-cleaning business, while Chantelle roasted and sold cashews and pecans from a food truck.
The Hares say they had been considering leaving the U.S. for some time. The Texas climate was becoming drier, and increasing numbers of bobcats and coyotes threatened their birds. “We had to sleep with weapons at the ready — you never know who might break into your home,” Chantelle said, referring to undocumented immigrants.
However, what troubled the Hares most was what they saw as the growing influence of the “LGBT agenda” in the U.S. Their three sons attended public school for only a year before they began homeschooling them. “There were too many lesbians in their school,” Leo claimed. “We prayed a lot for America to change, but it didn’t.”
The Hares don’t identify with any specific Christian denomination, though both Leo and Chantelle were raised in Protestant households. The family reads the Bible and prays daily but rarely attends church. “It was hard for us to find a church where we felt we belonged,” Leo explained.
In Texas, instead of attending services, Chantelle spent her evenings in local bars. There, she would approach patrons, offer to sell them nuts, and start conversations about God. Leo recalled that he and their sons would “always pray” before Chantelle headed out. “We asked the Lord to help her share His word with those people, and she often succeeded,” he said. Despite her regular bar visits, the Hares themselves drink very little — “just a bit of wine on holidays,” Chantelle said. “People would wonder what I was doing in bars as someone so devout,” she recalled. “I told them that even Jesus spent time with sinners.”
Chantelle also remembers getting a feeling that she shouldn’t go out on certain nights, only to later hear that a shooting had occurred at the bar she had planned to visit. “The Lord is always guiding us and showing us the way,” she said. “And it was the Lord who brought us to Russia.”
As the Hares grew more distrustful of the U.S. government, their admiration for Vladimir Putin began to grow. They started tuning in every time he appeared on TV. Chantelle was particularly struck by his speaking style, describing him as “confident, modest, and kind, like a father admonishing his son.”
“He called on the West, and America in particular, to reconsider their choices and return to true Christian values. And yet, the Western media just trashed him,” Chantelle said. “Then, one day, our 12-year-old son asked, ‘Why don’t we just move to Russia?’ And that’s how it all began.”
The family spent nine months preparing for the move. They sold everything they could— their house, cars, vans, animals, and furniture. Leo and Chantelle prefer not to disclose how much they earned from these sales or how much they spent on the paperwork, calling it “private information.”
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The Hares initially entered Russia on a tourist visa, and in August 2024, they were granted temporary refugee status.
Since arriving in Russia, their support for Putin has only grown. They’ve given multiple interviews to state news outlets, criticizing the West and praising the Russian president for “supporting the institution of the family.” The Hares also back Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Leo told People of Baikal that Moscow is battling against “Satanic forces disguised as [Ukrainian] officials.”
After making this statement, Leo showed the People of Baikal correspondent a T-shirt that some new friends gave him after his move to Russia. The front features a portrait of Putin in a military pilot uniform, while the back reads, “Made in Russia.” “I’m going to auction it off for a million dollars!” Leo declared.
In the meantime, the Hares are hoping Vladimir Putin can help them recover the money they gave to Daniil Vlasenko, the pastor’s son, in December 2023.
‘We’re not running a scam’
The younger Vlasenko wrote a receipt acknowledging that he had borrowed five million rubles from the Hares and agreed to pay 28 percent annual interest, either monthly or quarterly. The loan was set for a three-month term, with the parties verbally agreeing to decide at the end of the period whether to extend it. Leo thanked Daniil in writing for his “kindness,” calling him “God’s angel.”
Initially, everything went as planned. In June, Daniil transferred 610,000 rubles (about $5,940) to the Hares through his father as a payment on interest for the first five months. However, when Leo requested changes to the agreement’s terms, the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on the loan’s duration. As a result, the Hares began demanding the return of their money with interest. Daniil promised to repay the full amount by the end of 2024, though this was never formalized in writing.
“We did everything based on trust,” Daniil told People of Baikal. “But Leo doesn’t understand that investments are always risky, and deadlines can change.”
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In December 2024, Daniil told People of Baikal that repaying the full amount by the end of the year might not be possible, as “the project is large and depends on many factors.” “If not, I’ll pay them whatever I can — two or three million rubles — but I don’t want them to worry or post any negative videos,” he said, adding, “We’re not running a scam.” Another source told People of Baikal that Daniil lives “modestly” and even invested his own Volvo into the deal to help wrap things up faster.
“When Leo gave me this money, he said he wasn’t worried about it at all,” Daniil later added. “He said it was a gift from God and that Leo trusted Him completely. But now, it seems Leo no longer trusts [God].”
Daniil’s father, Vitaly, called his son “an honest man” and expressed confidence that Daniil would repay the full amount with interest. “Thou shalt not oppress a stranger,” he said, quoting the Bible (in this context, he explained, the “strangers” are the Hares). “I tried to help Leo honestly, but he started fearing that he was being deceived. It seems that fear has clouded his judgment,” Vitaly said.
‘Liars and freeloaders’
In September 2024, Svetlana Anokhina-Rose arranged for the Hare family to move from Vitaly Vlasenko’s farm to the grounds of a nearby boutique hotel called La Ferme De Rêve.
The hotel owners agreed to let the Americans stay in a staff house on the property for free, with the condition that Leo care for the animals on the farm. However, after eight days, Leo refused, claiming that he was being forced to work from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day. When he requested a day off to spend with his family, the hotel owners told him that his eldest son, Joshua, could take his place. According to the Hares, the hotel was trying to exploit them as “slaves” and “cheap labor.”
The hotel owners declined to speak to People of Baikal. Svetlana told the outlet that the owners of La Ferme De Rêve said that they couldn’t give Leo a day off because the animals need to be fed every day. “From our perspective, the Hares started taking everything the wrong way and began behaving aggressively,” Svetlana said. “The owner told me, ‘Svetlana, I’m shocked. Please get them out of here.’ At first, they didn’t even want to leave, saying, ’Nobody can kick us out with three kids.’”
Eventually, the Hares moved to the village of Krasnoye in the Yaroslavl region, where they stayed with Orthodox priest Ignaty Popov. They’d been put in touch with him by Joseph Gleason, an American priest and fellow “ideological immigrant” who moved to Russia in 2017. Popov agreed to host the Hares for free “for a while.”
The Hares released several videos accusing the hotel owners, as well as Vitaly and Daniil Vlasenko, of mistreating them. Initially, they didn’t name the Vlasenkos, but later videos, which garnered thousands of views, did include their names. The Hares were also dissatisfied with the help they received from Joseph and Svetlana, criticizing them for directing the family to the Vlasenkos and the boutique hotel, and claiming the couple “didn’t do enough” to assist them.
In response, Svetlana accused Leo and Chantelle of being ungrateful. “We couldn’t stand hearing any more complaints about how we hadn’t given them enough or done enough for them,” she told People of Baikal. Joseph and Svetlana hosted a livestream on their YouTube channel to address the situation. “I’m afraid this is going to make Westerners think, ‘Well, maybe we don’t want to come here — you know, we’re not gonna be treated well,” Joseph lamented.
Leo and Chantelle didn’t join the livestream. Instead, other American expats living in Russia participated, along with blogger Stanislav Filin, who emigrated to the West as a child. After living in Canada and the U.S., Filin returned to Russia in 2019, and now runs a YouTube channel featuring pro-Russia interviews with Western immigrants. He called the Hares “liars and freeloaders,” emphasizing that they had provided no evidence to support their allegations against Daniil Vlasenko. In a response video, Leo claimed the Roses’ livestream was “inspired by demons.”
‘God will deliver justice’
In September, Leo filed a police report against Daniil Vlasenko, accusing him of fraud. However, the case was dismissed due to “lack of evidence.” Daniil told People of Baikal that investigators visited him, but after he presented all of the correspondence and the agreement with the Hares, “there were no further questions.” Leo, meanwhile, was outraged that the police never contacted him during their investigation.
The Hares then sought out lawyers to draft a formal complaint against Daniil, but they were disappointed with the Russian attorneys they found. According to Leo, the lawyers weren’t interested in pursuing a criminal case and instead wanted to reach a “peaceful settlement” — an outcome Leo himself refused to accept. He told People of Baikal that he hopes Daniil would face “the harshest punishment” and that “God will deliver justice.”
“As of now, Jesus is our lawyer,” Leo said. “We still want to win, to show the Russian people that justice is possible and that authority should operate according to biblical laws.”
The family also sought help from Russian lawmaker Maria Butina, a member of the State Duma’s Committee on International Affairs who works with “ideological immigrants.” According to Chantelle, Butina assisted the Hares in drafting a new statement for the Interior Ministry but has not been in contact with them since. Chantelle speculated that Butina “doesn’t want to get involved in all of this.”
Maria Butina declined to comment on the Hares’ case to People of Baikal. Her assistant responded, saying, “At the moment, it’s not possible to provide a clear answer regarding their issue.”
Since moving to Russia, the Hares had been receiving donations from their subscribers on YouTube. According to Chantelle, however, after Joseph and Svetlana’s “slanderous” livestream, contributions all but dried up. “Our bank accounts are almost empty now,” she said.
‘God says we must stay here’
The Hares stayed with Ignaty Popov for about a month. He housed them for free, and in return, the Americans helped him repair the bell tower of the local church.
The priest told People of Baikal that the Hares were the fourth American family he had hosted. He described Leo and Chantelle as “proletarians” and noted that they were the first Americans he’d met who “actually know how to work with their hands,” unlike others who were “used to dealing with investments.”
Popov believes that “ideological immigrants” like the Hares are an asset to Russia. “Their men don’t drink or smoke — they set an example for ours,” he explained. “Meanwhile, Russian people have forgotten how to have children and raise them. Everyone lives for themselves: women with their makeup and nails, men with their football and hockey. They don’t need churches — only two people attend our services, though 160 live in the village.”
Popov added that the Hares still need to learn how to survive in Russia. “And how to survive is written in the Holy Scriptures,” he explained. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.”
Leo and Chantelle brought a nut caramelizing machine from America and hope to launch a business selling nuts in Russia. “We take this business very seriously,” Leo stressed. They plan to sell a 10-ounce pack for 1,000 rubles ($9.70).
However, Ignaty Popov is skeptical. He believes the best option for Leo in Russia is to find work as a day laborer: “Around here, manual laborers earn 3,000 rubles ($29) a day, but you can hardly find anyone willing to take a job.”
Popov also thinks the Hare’s sons are old enough to start working. Over the past year, the boys’ parents haven’t been able to enroll them in school. Popov argues it’s unnecessary since the boys won’t be able to learn Russian well enough to pass the country’s college aptitude test. (The family has been studying Russian through Duolingo for the past year, but admits it’s “not enough.”) A month after People of Baikal’s interview with Popov, Russia banned schools from accepting migrant children who can’t pass a Russian proficiency test.
“They should start working now,” the priest argued. “By the time they’re 20, they’ll be skilled tradesmen earning enough to start families and buy cars.”
Leo and Chantelle Hare told People of Baikal that their sons are “not sure whether they want to live in Russia for the rest of their lives.” However, the couple themselves have no plans to return to the U.S., even after the victory of Donald Trump — whom they previously supported — in the U.S. presidential election.
“America now has four good years ahead, but what comes after that?” Chantelle said. She likened Trump to “a band-aid slapped on a wound” — one that she’s confident will eventually come off.
* * *
At the end of October, Ignaty Popov brought the Hares to a small town about 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Moscow. There, the family rented an apartment and registered their residence. Chantelle has asked People of Baikal not to disclose the name of the town, fearing some of their detractors could track them down. The Hares believe that the pastor, his son, immigration agency staff, lawyers, lawmakers, and the police “might be part of a global conspiracy.”
In late December, Leo sent a message to Daniil Vlasenko demanding again that he repay the money. “We didn’t buy our sons any [holiday] gifts, and two of my teeth are cracked, but I can’t afford to go to the dentist,” he wrote. Daniil responded, promising to send the Hares 50,000 rubles ($487) in the coming days and to settle the entire debt by the end of January.
Daniil has yet to review the calculations Leo sent him, which included the principal debt, interest, and compensation for the “pain and suffering” his family endured — one million rubles ($9,700) for each son and five million rubles ($48,700) for each adult. Altogether, Leo claims Daniil owes them nearly 17 million rubles ($165,500).
“God has taken our family, and we are following Him wherever He tells us to go. Right now, God says we must stay here,” Leo said. “We feel safe here. Russia is a beautiful country and is not to blame for what happened to us.”
Original story by Karina Pronina for People of Baikal
Abridged translation by Sam Breazeale