Russia is floating a plan to build a village for conservative Americans who want to move to a 'Christian country' and are tired of liberal ideology in the US
Russia is floating an idea to build a village for hundreds of American and Canadian families who want to run away from the cultural climate in North America.
The village, slated for construction in Moscow's suburbs in 2024, is meant for conservative families who want to "emigrate for ideological reasons," said immigration lawyer Timur Beslangurov on Thursday, according to RIA Novosti.
Around 200 families have expressed interest in the project, Beslangurov said in a speech at a legal forum in St. Petersburg, the state outlet reported.
Many of these families don't have Russian roots but are tired of "the inculcation of radical values" in the US and Canada, Beslangurov said.
"Today, they have 70 genders, it is not known what will happen next," he added, per RIA Novosti. The same rhetoric has been used frequently by Russian Vladimir Putin as US-Russia relations worsened over the last several years. In December 2021, he compared gender nonconformity to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most of the expats who want to move to the village are Catholics and "strongly believe in the prediction that Russia will remain the only Christian country in the world," Beslangurov said.
The village project has been greenlit by authorities, and the new settlers will pay for the construction, Beslangurov added, per state media.
Insider could not independently verify Beslangurov's claims. When contacted by Insider, the lawyer said the project is in the works, but declined to share further details.
The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.
Putin has, in recent years, sought to portray Russia as a country that stands for "traditional" moral, social, and religious values.