Exploring your options: moving to Russia as a foreigner

1. Studying: Enroll in a Russian university and obtain an invitation from the Ministry of the Interior for a student visa. Upon graduation, apply for a temporary residency permit, which can lead to permanent residency.

2. Working: Secure employment in Russia and have your employer request an invitation for a work visa from the Ministry of the Interior. After arriving, obtain a temporary residency permit, then apply for permanent residency after two years of residence.

3. Reunion: If you have family in Russia who are Russian citizens, you can apply for a private visa for personal reasons. Upon arrival, apply for a temporary residency permit, followed by permanent residency after two years.

4. Investment: Invest a significant amount in Russia through various avenues:

▪️Invest in socially significant regional programs (about $152k over three years).

▪️Invest in an established Russian company (about $316k).

▪️Purchase real estate in Russia (about $264k to $528k depending on the region).

▪️Establish a company in Russia that meets specific tax criteria.

5. Citizenship: After living in Russia for five years on a permanent residency permit, you can apply for Russian citizenship, provided you meet additional criteria such as revoking previous nationality (if applicable), demonstrating knowledge of the Russian language and Constitution, and maintaining financial stability.

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❗️ Russian air defense shot down three Ukrainian drones over the Tula Region, press service of the regional security ministry reported

US military spotted a flying balloon over the western part of the country, its origin and destination are unknown, CBS reports

The device does not pose a threat, its origin and destination are still unknown, according to the channel's sources.

It flew over the state of Colorado, which raised concerns among local authorities and prompted them to put military aircraft in the air.

North American Aerospace Defense Command fighter jets intercepted a balloon flying over the western United States, a organization's spokesman told Sputnik

US officials admit use of force against Houthis not working, CNN reported

Biden administration officials are increasingly questioning the effectiveness of military methods in combating the Houthis, who continue their attempt to block the operations of Western commercial and navy ships in the Red Sea in response to the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict, CNN reported, citing US officials in the know.

Even though the US military has significantly increased the frequency of its strikes on Houthi bases since January, the results of the strikes have failed to advance beyond the psychological effect and have only made Yemeni rebels dig in deeper and hide better, the report said.

American strikes have also made the Houthis extremely concerned about their senior leaders, making them increasingly paranoid about their safety, the report added.

There is also a belief among some US senior officials that the Houthis would stop their attacks in the Red Sea the moment Israel stops its war in Gaza, according to the report.

The Houthi movement, which controls large parts of northern and western Yemen, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip.

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'Clown show': UK's failed Trident missile test emblematic of nation's 'decline and demise'

“The UK military is entirely linked to the kind of decline and demise of the UK as a serious nation,” Phil Kelly, a political contributor and socialist activist told Sputnik’s Political Misfits. “It’s a nation that is in a deep economic and political crisis, and the military reflects that."

The UK Royal Navy acts supremely confident in its abilities, but can not back up its bravado, he said. “This is an army, let’s not forget, that retreated at speed after a failed 20-year occupation of Afghanistan. They were beaten by men in pickup trucks… who’s [now] shaking its saber and threatening Russia, China, and Iran,” Kelly explained. “It’s kind of like that small man syndrome in a bar. Stop acting aggressive because you’re going to get the fight you’re asking for and you’re in no way prepared for it.”

“If [the failed Trident missile launch] happened in North Korea, Western media would have been laughing at it,” Kelly concluded.

US media reported that the UK Royal Navy tested an unarmed Trident II in January, but the missile failed, falling just feet from the submarine it launched from. The failure was the latest in a string of embarrassing events for the Royal Navy.

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Isolation due to Ukraine, Gaza Conflicts signal ‘end of US hegemony'

The US failed in its goal to isolate and divide Russia but did succeed in its unstated goal of deindustrializing Europe, war correspondent and analyst Elijah Magnier told Radio Sputnik.

“The world is changing indeed, not only because of the war on Russia in Ukraine but also the war in Gaza [...] the Development of the BRICS countries [and] the increase of the Shanghai Cooperation. All these indications lead to one reality, the beginning of the end of US hegemony.”

“Fifty nations gathered to defeat Russia and they failed… Ukraine has been defeated and Europe is defeated,” Magnier added, noting later that Russia’s economy is doing much better than Europe’s.

Magnier indicated that the unstated goal of the US in Ukraine was the deindustrialization of Europe and expressed surprise that it hasn’t reacted, particularly Germany in regards to the Nord Stream pipeline. “When energy is unaffordable… there is a migration of European industry to the United States where energy is cheaper.”

“This is [how] the Americans succeeded in putting the Europeans, literally, on the floor,” he added.

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US' lack of Ukraine peace efforts ‘all about the money’, Senator JD Vance says

The Biden administration’s lack of effort to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine is rooted in financial interests, US Senator JD Vance said during an interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

“I hate to say it, but I think it’s all about the money,” Vance said on Friday, when asked about the lack of diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, adding that lots of money and resources being sent to Ukraine are getting “skimmed off the top”.

Ukraine could have brokered a peace in the early days of the conflict, but the US and the UK derailed the effort, Vance said, noting that Ukraine still has a chance at peace if “the whackos and the idiots” are removed from the White House.

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Funds allocated by the US to support Ukraine are being spread around the world's money-laundering capitals, a member of the US House of Representatives, Matt Gaetz, has said.

In Gaetz's opinion, the US should no longer provide foreign aid without cutting its own "bloated" federal budget.

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❗️ During the operation to liberate Avdeyevka, the enemy was driven more than 10 kilometers back from their positions, the Russian Defense Ministry said

❗️ More of the Russian MoD’s latest statements:

▪️ Russian servicemen in the special military operation zone face almost the entire NATO military-industrial potential;

▪️ Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu notes the need for a humane attitude towards captured Ukrainian servicemen;

▪️Ukrainian soldiers remaining in Avdeyevka are surrendering; some 200 Ukrainian soldiers have already been captured;

▪️ Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has set the task of further strengthening Battlegroup Tsentr with electronic warfare equipment;

▪️ Regular drone units have been created in Russian Armed Forces detachments;

▪️ During the last two weeks of February, Russian attack drones near Avdeyevka destroyed over 700 Ukrainian targets;

▪️ During the liberation of Avdeyevka, Orlan-30 reconnaissance drones performed well;

▪️ Despite Ukraine's complaints about having an ammunition shortage, the intensity of enemy artillery fire has not decreased;

▪️ Russian troops are continuing offensive operations;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces will receive drones controlled using artificial intelligence technologies.

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▪️ Ukrainian forces driven more than 10 km back during Russian liberation of Avdeyevka

▪️ Isolation due to Ukraine, Gaza Conflicts signals ‘end of US hegemony'

▪️ All about the money? Where US' stance on Ukrainian conflict is rooted

▪️ US officials admit use of force against Houthis not working

▪️ UK's failed Trident missile test emblems nation's 'decline and demise'

More stories

▪️US shoots an unknown flying balloon over its territory. Again.

▪️ Thinking of moving to Russia? Check out our guide

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📹 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has inspected the Battlegroup Tsentr in the special military operation zone, the Defense Ministry said

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US entrepreneur Elon Musk said outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte does not have the legal authority to sign a security treaty with Ukraine for ten years.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO made the statement in response to a post by political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek on social network X regarding the Netherlands’ ten-year military assistance agreement with Ukraine. Vlaardingerbroek said “the opinion of the Dutch People” had not been asked.

"Doesn’t seem like he [Rutte] has the legal authority to do this," Musk wrote in response.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that the Netherlands would sign a security agreement with Ukraine for the next 10 years. It said the deal means the Netherlands will help Ukraine defend itself and achieve further integration into the EU and NATO.

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❗️ Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), has appealed to the OSCE against the training of sabotage groups in Moldova, but there has been no appropriate response so far, PMR head Vadim Krasnoselsky told Sputnik.

The Transnistrian Ministry of State Security reported earlier that foreign specialists were training combat groups in Moldova, including Ukrainians, to carry out terrorist acts and sabotage of military facilities in the PMR.

Transnistria’s Ministry of State Security reported the prevention of a terrorist attack on March 9 last year in Tiraspol allegedly planned against PMR officials at the behest of the Ukrainian Security Service. In May 2022, a series of terrorist attacks took place in Transnistria, including attacks on the buildings of the Ministry of State Security, a military unit, a radio and television center, and a military recruitment office.

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🇷🇺 Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has commented on accusations coming from Washington about Russia's plans to allegedly deploy nuclear weapons in space and the possibility of further dialogue with the US:

▪️ Russia is not going to withdraw from the Outer Space Treaty;

▪️ Contact between Russia and the US on the matter of nuclear weapons in space has turned out to be completely unproductive;

▪️ The US attributes non-existent intentions in space to Russia, while it wants to achieve superiority there in the sphere of armaments, which is "their usual trick";

▪️ US accuses Russia of planning to deploy nuclear weapons in space, but has provided no evidence;

▪️ Moscow is waiting for a change in Washington's policy to resume dialogue on strategic stability, after which it will be ready to assess the expediency of discussing such issues.

Ryabkov also commented on reports about a conversation between Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on space: “We do not accept leaks from the US about what they agreed to keep confidential.”

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Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu was presented with samples of foreign military hardware captured by our troops during the special military operation.

Deputy commander of the Central MD’s Lieutenant General Yevgeny Tsindyakin drew attention to the shortcomings of Western weapons using the example of the US-made M113 armored personnel carrier.

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Growing rift over further arming Ukraine 'jeopardizes EU unity' - report

Wealthier Western European countries like Germany, Spain, Italy, Spain, and others are being pressured by East European ones to dip deeper into their own depleted stocks of arms to prop up Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources.

There are deepening fractures across the continent over continuing to aid the regime in Kiev, with Eastern European supporters of NATO’s proxy war against Russia reportedly warning that once Moscow prevails in the Ukraine conflict, the entire “European integration project could be jeopardized.”

As Ukraine continues to fail on the battlefield, with the loss of its stronghold of Avdeyevka being particularly painful, Kiev’s troops are also running critically low on stocks of artillery shells.

However, many Western European states, such as France, have been underscoring the urgency of boosting their own defense capabilities. In a sign of growing resentment, one European official allegedly warned that their country would not purchase military hardware from France in the event that foot-dragging on aiding Ukraine results in a Russian victory. Support for Ukraine is “looking fragmented,” the outlet summed up.

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