More than a thousand foreigners have been granted Russian visas by 2025 because they adhere to “traditional Russian values,” according to Russian state news agency Ria Novosti. Western media also call the visa the “anti-woke visa”.
Journalist at HLN
Source: Belga
According to Alexei Klimov, the director of the consular department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1,112 such visas were granted last year. This mainly concerns residents of countries “that impose destructive neoliberal ideological orientations that go against traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.”
The visa was created in 2024 for foreigners who are opposed to their country’s political position towards Russia. The visa is open to residents of European countries, as well as the US, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Singapore. The visa entitles you to enter Russia and stay for three months. The holder can then apply for a residence permit.
Mainly people from Germany (168 visas), France (140) and the US (105) have applied for such a visa, according to Klimov. The ministry did not clarify how many foreigners with such a visa are still in Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has labeled LGBTQ+ rights and mixed toilets, among other things, as things that are “un-Russian”.