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Autumn in Tomsk (still September)




It’s most unlikely I could get a morning like this in Russia. Here, my husband cooks breakfast almost every weekend. Actually, we do it together: he fries eggs and bacon, I do toasts and set a table.

So, this morning I had time to browse the Internet. 


This is what I found. 


An American couple Brian Keith and Beth Ellen Mattisse received temporary residence permits in Russia. They will live in the Tomsk region. The resource did not specify where exactly: in the city or in the village. How are they going to make a living, what job to do, if they don’t speak Russian? I hope to learn it later. The resource said that the family has joined the Orthodox Church. I would love to see how the Mass was conducted. Did Dionisy Melentyev, rector of the Resurrection Church in Tomsk, conduct the ceremony in English specially for them? I doubt it. Although, who knows.

 …So many questions.

 According to Irina Volk (Official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation),  since August 2024*, 1,800 foreigners have applied for Russian citizenship, and more than 1,300 have received temporary residence permits. These are primarily Germans, Latvians, and Americans. These Americans are not the first ones, the Internet is full of articles about such cases. But to end up in Tomsk, sounds interesting. We will see if and what we will hear about them.


Did you know that there is  a World Tourism Day on September 27?

Tomsk found a way to celebrate. They opened a new sculpture entitled "A Suitcase—A Faithful Travel Companion". I don’t have photos of it from my friends yet, but I am sharing the link with the photos. 


To be a tourist is wonderful, I wish I was on a trip yesterday! 

It’s getting more difficult to travel in Russia. 

Two Aeroflot flights from Moscow to Tomsk and a return flight from Tomsk to Moscow have been cancelled on September 23. This is due to a drone attack on the capital.

Almost every day I hear on the news about drones attacking different targets (factories that produce gasoline, airports, etc.). However, many Russians are brave enough to travel. The way to the destinations is getting longer and more expensive but people want to travel, want to have a vacation and fun, and don't know the real facts of the situation at places. 










The regional Investigative Committee's press service announced the opening of a criminal case against a Tomsk resident who financed the activities of an organization deemed undesirable in Russia. She transferred funds for over a year.


According to investigators, from December 2022 to September 2023, the 42-year-old Tomsk woman transferred money to the account of an individual who organized a fundraiser to support the activities of an organization deemed undesirable in Russia. The Investigative Committee is not disclosing the name of the organization.


Well, well, well, that’s exactly why I won’t be going to Tomsk anytime soon.






*In August 2024, Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing foreigners to obtain temporary residence permits if they "share traditional values" of Russia and disagree with the ideological policies of their countries' governments.


Resources:


https://vtomske.ru/news/211676-reis-aeroflota-moskva-tomsk-otmenen-iz-za-ataki-bpla-na-stolicu

https://vtomske.ru/news/211711-tomichka-obvinyaetsya-v-finansirovanii-nejelatelnoi-v-rf-organizacii

https://nemoskva.net/2025/09/24/novye-russkie-vlast-prodolzhaet-reklamirovat-pereezdy-inostranczev-v-rossiyu/

https://obzor.city/news/669840---v-tomske-otkryli-pamjatnik-chemodanu
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