"The Sad Milkman": An American who produced cheese in Altai and criticized local officials is facing deportation along with his family.
To Justus Walker may be cancelled A residence permit in Russia. FMS officers informed him of this in a telephone conversation. An in-person appointment is scheduled for Monday, August 10.
The farmer gained notoriety in 2014 when he gave an interview to the Rossiya TV channel. While talking about the ban on imported food products, he laughed out loud and rejoiced at the success of his own cheese factory, which was left without competitors. These photos went viral online, and Walker was subsequently nicknamed "The Jolly Milkman."
He came to Russia back in 1994, at the age of 12 - his religious Protestant family carried out missionary work in the village near KrasnoyarskIn 2000, his parents returned to the United States, but Walker stayed—because, he says, he fell in love with rural life. At first, he tried to earn money by teaching English, then turned to farming—he brought in goats and started making cheese. In 2016, he moved to Altai, where he built his farm in the mountains. He has a wife and three daughters.
Walker periodically took to social media to criticize government officials. For example, in March of this year, he accused the Ministry of Agriculture of destroying agribusiness by constantly "threatening, prohibiting, and pressuring" it.
"Sometimes I get the feeling they want us all to die and stop doing what we do. This isn't an institution that's trying to help you. It's not even an institution that's just doing stupid regulation. It seems like an institution that just wants to shut you down." говорил he.
The news of the possible revocation of his residence permit came as a shock to the farmer. If this really happens, he won't be able to abandon his vast farm. Furthermore, the family will need to find about a million rubles for an urgent return to the United States.
"It's unbelievable, I can't believe my family is being deported from the country. It's a complete shock for us," says the farmer.
He will try to appeal the decision. But if he loses, he will only have a few days to leave Russia.
