I left Russia before it became mainstream. Life of an immigrant in France after 24/02. 

I like your honesty and openness about your feelings.

Kudos for making the courageous move to another country. I moved to Italy for 5 years but returned back to Chicago. I know how hard it is to adapt even being fluent in Italian. In Chicago we have both Russian and Ukrainian expats living and working side by side and without incidence. My accountant is Russian and I work with a Russian software engineer. They have no desire to go back to Russia, they and their children are Americans now and they achieved financial success and happiness....thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I hear you. I am an American who has lived 15 years in Sweden and while I have become too Swedish to ever go back to the States to live I will always always feel . .. idk. ... a bit like when you are holding your stomach in at a fancy event and dreaming of getting back home to your favorite comfy pants. I will always stick out here. I will never be fully at ease to be fully myself in daily life. I can only hope to surround myself with more and more people who do allow me pockets of that.

Rita - the reason you don't feel french has to do with a sense of embarrassment that Russia gives you. There is a bit of that in everyone regardless of their ancestry.

Thank you for telling your story. Listening to you you look more French to me than some native French.

❤❤❤It was so beautiful hearing your story Rita, it is such a challenging time with this war going on, it is so wonderful to hear your honest, transparent, heartfelt response to your life and coming to terms with where your heritage has lead you, but more importantly it brings a tear to my eye 😢 because I feel your pain... I have Russian friends and friends in Ukraine and it breaks my heart too Thank you for sharing .... God Bless ❤❤❤

I can understand your feelings. And I agree. Equally, experience shows that time heals. About speaking Russian, I decided to continue. It will not disappear.

Please continue to teach your children the Russian language in addition to French and English. It is too easy for them when young and you never know how useful it may be 20 years from now.

I dont think its "mainstream", people are leaving as a life or death situation.

Yes, I agree with your comment. To take the person out of the country is 1 thing but to take the country out of the person is another. Moving abroad for most is not so easy.

Thank you for this honest video! As you know very well, Russian emigrants are a huge part of French culture. The best off Russian educated people, who tried to improve their country and got persecuted for that, had to leave Russia and emigrate to France in both 19, 20 & 21 centuries. After the Russian revolution 1917, Paris was full of Russian emigrants: writers, poets, ballet dancers, aristocrats and generally people from every walk of life. Russia - was it Russian Empire, Soviet Union or Russian federation, - has always had a funny habit of expelling its best citizens. It was always a huge lost for Russia, but a big gain for France, England, Canada, New Zealand, - wherever those good Russian people had to emigrate. Of course, there were some russian spies too, but their amount compare to normal, honest Russians is insignificant. By the way, - you still look like you are 21 y.o. And you are wise & talented. Obviously, you did right life choices. Congratulations!

You're 41? You look 21. I thought your parents brought you there as a kid or something!

Oui, cela résume bien le sentiment de la majorité des Ex-Russes que je connaisse. Ca va être compliqué de reconnecté la Russie à l'Europe après cela et pourtant il le faudra.

I'm a couple of years older than you and I remember the news on Russia in the 90's. Your decision to leave is understandable. There's a big difference between reading or watching something on TV vs experiencing it. 90's in NZ wasn't fun for me but got it easy. Left big scars in Russia.

Since your roots are in Russia possibly you feel empty because many people are connected by way of growing up and living in the same society. Just a thought.🤔

tu as un accent francais en anglais, c'est bon t'es francaise, ca ne fait aucun doute :D

pretty standard russian wifey

in Warsaw, over 70% of Ukrainians speak Russian

Who left Russia should never come back. Forward Russia to a great future! Traitors will need to be severely punished.

Moscow even today remains a better place to live than Paris ....