I suppose it was just a matter of time, really, before the cracks would begin to show.

One might argue that the Feenstras of Saskatchewan had already succumbed to the lure of Vladimir Putin’s “Year of the Family” sales pitch when they moved to Russia a year and a half ago. They were intent on escaping what they considered the unhealthy “wokeness” of Canadian culture, and believed that the conservative, anti-LGBTQ, land-rich nation was the one place on Earth they would find the ideal life for the youngest eight of their nine children.

And since their arrival — though after a somewhat rocky start — they have indeed managed to build a new life on a large piece of farmland near Nizhny Novgorod. They’ve constructed — with their own hands — a big house, a barn, a workshop, a root cellar, and a nearly-completed guest house (purpose not yet revealed): found markets for their eggs and produce and home-baked goods; and begun building a herd of cows, a flock of sheep, a drove of pigs, and flocks of chickens, ducks and geese. “Old MacDonald” would have been right at home with the Feenstras.

But at what cost?

Not just dollars, or rubles. The real cost has been the sale of their souls to the man in the Kremlin. Every aspect of their busy, hard-working lives is covered by cameras and interviewers, as well as their own daily broadcasts on YouTube, Telegram, Russia’s own Rutube, and something called Boosty. And, as I have previously pointed out, each broadcast — with dad Arend Feenstra as the affable host — is peppered with subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) mentions of the great privilege of being allowed to live and work in Russia; the outstanding medical care; the attentiveness and assistance received from the local officials; the friendliness and generosity of everyone they have come in contact with . . . and even the occasional, shameless promotion of a commercial product or service.

Not to mention the overt invitations to people around the world who might be looking for a new home . . .

But I hadn’t realized how deeply mired the Feenstras are in the muck of Putin’s regime until yesterday, when I was watching yet another update on the construction of the guest house and learning of an upcoming “big announcement” concerning their first guest(s).

Toward the end of the video, Arend mentioned that they had been seeing YouTube channels “disappearing,” and reminded viewers that his broadcasts could also be found on the other channels — all free except Boosty — in the event they had any problems with YouTube.

And I immediately understood what was happening: Putin is known to have been actively working to block YouTube throughout the country, or at the very least to limit what is available on it, as part of his overall crackdown on independent media; and the “disappearances” of channels are no doubt a result of those efforts.

But it wasn’t clear whether Arend Feenstra was completely aware of that. Because after herding the sheep into their stalls and a flock of geese into a cozy little outbuilding of their own for the night, he signed off with a reminder about his other free media outlets . . . plus a solicitation for paid subscriptions on Boosty for those who might inclined to help support them. And what he said, in part, was:

“We are still at serious risk of losing YouTube channels because of the country we live in and the good things we say about it. That’s all I’ll say, don’t want to mess up the algorithm.”

But he sort of mumbled through it, seeming a little uncomfortable. And it struck me: He has most likely been told that other countries are cutting off Russian programming because they don’t want their people hearing positive remarks about Russia, rather than the other way around. Whether he honestly believes it, or he simply knows he has to accept it, is irrelevant . . . the damage has been done.

The Feenstra family is now part of the Russian populace, though not yet citizens. But as long as they remain there, they will not be in control of their own lives, but will belong — lock, stock and poultry — to the State. And all because they couldn’t cope with people whose beliefs and lifestyles were different from theirs.

I wonder . . . are they now fully aware of the consequences of the choice they made? And if so, do they still think it was worth it?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/4/25