From Korea With Love
The first person to become part of the new wave of immigration to Russia is the world famous short-track speed skating Korean athlete, Ahn Hyun-soo.
In December 2011, he received a Russian passport and took a new name — Viktor Ahn. One of the most accomplished short track speed skaters of all time, Ahn won three gold medals and a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy, becoming the most successful athlete there.
Snowboarding Knows No Boundaries
In summer of 2011, American snowboarder Vic Wild married Russian beauty Alaine Zavarzin, in the spring of next year Wild became a Russian national.
During the Olympics in Sochi, Wilde became a double champion and his wife took a bronze medal. The couple managed to expand Russia’s Olympics medal collection in snowboarding, as Wilde took two gold medals, his wife a bronze medal, and Ekaterina Ilyukhina won silver.
Very Russian Soul — Gerard Depardieu
Gerard Depardieu, frustrated by the tax burden back in his home country, France, began to look closely for other options. First he went to Belgium and then he came to Russia. Here, he received a Russian passport in 2013.
He also received registration in the capital of Mordovia, Saransk, and an apartment in Grozny from the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Depardieu later admitted that he loves his Russian passport and feels deep down “very Russian”.
Roy Jones in Russian Suburbs
Roy Jones Jr. received a Russian passport in October 2015. The ex-world champion in four weight categories has made a name for himself in the United States, where he spent most of his professional career.
According to the boxer, he liked to come to Russia so much that he decided to change his citizenship and “build a bridge” between his former country and the present one.
Jones Jr. is especially fond of Crimea, which according to him resembles his home.
The boxer has ambitious plans: he plans to settle in the suburbs and buy a “dacha” [country-house] in Crimea. He also wants to learn Russian and open a Boxing Academy here.
Pioneer of Cultural Immigration
One of the pioneers of cultural immigration to Russia is the Italian conductor and pianist, Fabio Mastrangelo, who made his debut at the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg in 2002.
Nine years after the debut, Mastrangelo received Russian citizenship. He worked in Yekaterinburg where he was chief conductor of the local opera and ballet theater. His wife is from Novosibirsk, a flutist Olesia Tertychnaya.
Currently, he heads the St. Petersburg Music Hall, several annual music festivals and a unique cruise project called “Classic over the Volga” with the participation of soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre and the Helikon Opera.
Conductor from Athens
Teodore Currentzis was born in Athens. He studied orchestral conducting art at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory from 1994 to 1999. He collaborated with a variety of theaters and Russian musicians.
From 2004 to 2010 Currentzis served as principal conductor of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, the largest opera theatre in northern Russia, where he founded the Musica Aeterna Ensemble and the New Siberian Singers Chamber Choir.
In 2011 Currentzis became one of the leaders of the “cultural revolution” in Perm, where he headed the local theater of opera and ballet and three years later became a citizen of Russia.
Currentzis has been the music director of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre since February 2011.
