Many people decide to move to Russia to protect their children, the Russian president has said

Many people in Western Europe are dissatisfied with the “gender terrorism” against children taking root there, and are moving to Russia to escape it, President Vladimir Putin said at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday.

People are relocating “not so much for political reasons, but rather values,” particularly from larger European countries, Putin stated.

“Gender terrorism against children does not suit very many people, and they look for safe havens, coming to us. God willing, we will support them,” the president said, apparently referring to the promotion of non-traditional gender identities in schools, support for transgender rights, and sex reassessment procedures adopted in many Western countries.

A 2024 presidential decree allows citizens from 47 “unfriendly” countries who disagree with the ideological policies in their homelands to apply for temporary residence in Russia through a simplified procedure.

Russia has been promoting “traditional values” and encouraging families to have more children. The government has outlawed propaganda of non-traditional relationships and branded the LGBTQ movement a terrorist organization.