A French family moved from New Caledonia to Nizhny Novgorod.

      July 18, 2025, 14:30

      [158]

      Society

      Father and daughter Loran and Ella Clarot moved to Nizhny Novgorod from New Caledonia — a French territory in the Pacific Ocean. Their emigration was a conscious decision: the family was tired of political instability, economic decline, and the destruction of traditional values at home. This was reported by RT in Russian.

      According to Loran, island and mainland France no longer seem safe. "I decided not to move to Western Europe because I am very tired of Western media propaganda and LGBT* ideology," he explains. Ella adds: "It would seem that Europe should be a model to follow, but on the contrary — everything is falling apart."

      The family settled in Nizhny Novgorod in January 2025. This was facilitated by a hospitality program under which they received a private visa. They plan to obtain residency and apply for Russian citizenship in the future.

      Loran has three children, Ella is the youngest daughter. Before the move, he worked as a translator, taught at college, and wrote a textbook on Japanese. He has longstanding ties to Russia: since youth, he has been enthusiastic about Russian literature — Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and other classics.

      Ella has traveled around the world since adolescence, studied in Chile, became interested in yoga and art.

      The family chose Nizhny Novgorod because of its proximity to Moscow and a comfortable urban environment. Loran said he first visited Russia in 2023. He spent a month in Vladivostok and loved the city. But for the move, the French chose Nizhny Novgorod. According to them, they especially liked the city’s architecture, the business and energetic atmosphere, the cleanliness of the streets, the convenient public transportation system — especially the metro, as well as the scenic views and nature. They also noted the high level of safety: women can walk freely at any time of day or night without fear of unwanted attention. This contrasts with the situation in their homeland — New Caledonia, where, they say, streets can be unsafe, especially for women.

      "I wanted to be near the capital but not live in it — it’s too noisy and crowded. Nizhny seemed like a good option: a professional atmosphere, a decent university," explains Loran.

      Ella notes she feels safe in the city: "You can walk peacefully at any time. Everything is clear, convenient, beautiful. We really like the local parks and forests."

      Ella admitted that it’s still unfamiliar to her that Russians don’t smile as often as, for example, in other countries, but she understands it’s part of the local culture. At the same time, she mentioned that they find it unusual to see passengers in public transport passing money and bank cards for fare payment. "If you do this in Europe, you can easily lose your card," she shared.

      In Russia, the family not only wants to live but also to be useful. Loran has been engaged in agriculture for a long time and developed his own technology for producing biocar — an environmentally friendly additive that improves soil structure. In the future, he plans to open a plant in the region for producing this fertilizer.

      "This is my passion. I have been doing this all my life. Even two grams of biocar can improve the soil over a football field’s area," he says.

      Loran mentioned that he would like his son with family and his eldest daughter to come to Russia. "I would like to work here with them," he added.

      Ella is currently preparing to enroll at Nizhny Novgorod University and wants to study economics and foreign languages.

      She shared her life hack for learning Russian, which she tries to speak: she attaches notes with words and declensions to her bicycle — for example, "first, -ая, -ое," as shown in the frame.

      Loran adds in Russian: "Convenient. We need to study Russian daily."

      *The LGBT movement is recognized as extremist and is prohibited in the territory of the Russian Federation.

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