US-Russian ex-martial artist Jeff Monson shoots film about life in war-torn Donbass

Jeff Monson, a US-born mixed martial artist who was granted Russian citizenship, has revealed plans to make a film about the life in Donbass.

"We believe that most people, except for the people of Russian, have forgotten about the conflict raging here. We want to show the Western world that this war is ongoing, and people are suffering because of the conflict. We want to help people doing what we can, by shooting this film, for example," Monson said as he was training LPR aspiring sportsmen today in Lugansk.

He told journalists that he had already met the LPR Head Leonid Pasechnik, who welcomed the idea to shoot a film on Donbass.

"He also dislikes western narrative around the conflict and how they portray life here," Monson said, speaking about the meeting with the LPR leader.

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Jeff Monson was born in Minnesota, USA. A professional competitor since 1997, he has previous experience as a mental health professional.

Nicknamed The Snowman, he is a fan of Russia and its Soviet past. He explained that as a child psychologist, he started travelling a lot in early 2000s, and soon "realized that media is biased", and the awakening led him to communist views.

"As an American used to negative narratives of Russia, I was surprised by the graciousness of the people when I arrived in Moscow in 2011," Monson said later.

"It's clear to me that Russia isn't consumed with expanding threads of power or capitalism. It's concerned with the well-being of its people."

The martial artist often chose the Soviet Anthem as his walkout song. On 7 September 2014, he chose “Rise, Donbass" as his walkout song.

In 2015, Monson sought Russian citizenship, citing that he "just feels Russian." He was granted Russian citizenship in 2018.

"Why did I accept Russian citizenship? It's because "Ya russkiy"," he told Newsweek.
He also made an honorary citizen of the Republic of Abkhazia in 2016 year for "supporting nations striving for self-determination."

On his Instagram page, the sportsmen regularly shares photos of him living in Ufa, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia. *t