Justas Walker, a US citizen and Russian farmer known as the 'Cheerful Milkman,' said his family is not being expelled from Russia. He told RT on August 10 that he had visited the migration service, where officials said there were no grounds for expulsion.
'This is some kind of misunderstanding, a mix-up. So, that's the news. As of today, we're going home... We're heading home, everything is fine. We're unpacking our suitcases and continuing to live here,' RT quoted him as saying.
On August 7, Walker had said he and his family were being expelled, after receiving a call that his residence permit would be revoked. He said he hoped to learn the details by visiting the Federal Migration Service office on Monday.
Walker added that he hopes his wife will receive Russian citizenship by the end of the year. Walker himself already holds a Russian passport, which he obtained in 2021, according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Walker was born in the US and moved to Russia in 1994 at age 11 with his parents, who were Protestant missionaries. His family returned to the US in 2000, but he soon came back to Russia and lived in Krasnoyarsk Krai. In 2016, he moved with his wife and children to the Soloneshensky District of Altai Krai, where they bought about 100 hectares of land and built a farm.
Walker gained wide fame in 2014 after appearing in a segment on the 'Vesti' program about Russia's ban on imported food. Laughing, he told journalists: 'Why, why, because your Italian cheese won't be here.' The clip went viral, and he became known as the 'Cheerful Milkman.'