I'm Maksim Mantuli, maybe you know me as a polymer clay artist and designer of designer jewelry. I have a wonderful wife, Lana, and two wonderful children, Diana and Christian. We were born and live in Russia.
Unfortunately, my family is now in danger. My wife and I considered the seizure of Crimea (part of Ukraine) illegal, opposed corruption, opposed the closure of independent media in Russia, and opposed the war with Ukraine. I wrote articles about this on the BEZSHOR.RU website, which I myself created in 2014, and in my social networks with my wife.
Now the police are interested in me. They talked to my mother, called me and directly asked what I had to do with the site BEZSHOR.RU. I am afraid of my arrest and my wife's arrest because she helped me.
People are talking more and more about imminent mobilization and that all men will no longer be allowed out of the country. I hope to be able to leave before that time 😅
I was lucky and I found a kind person who will help our family if we can get to the USA. She agreed to help us buy airline tickets and book a hotel (I can't do that myself because of the sanctions and the refusal of many companies to work with the Russians).
We decided to ask for political asylum in the United States of America, on the border with Mexico. Right now, this is the only way for our family to be safe.
We need to buy airline tickets St. Petersburg (Russia) - Cancun (Mexico). Return air tickets Cancun - Saint Petersburg. And book a hotel in Cancun for the duration of our stay in Mexico. Flights must only be with a transfer in Istanbul (Turkey) or Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Otherwise, we will not be put on a plane in Russia or the Mexican border guards will not let us through.
Once in Cancun, we will fly to Tijuana and there we will try to reach the US border to ask for political asylum. There are several ways to do this:
Buy a car and drive the Mexican border (it costs about 5-6 thousand dollars).
Go with the help of a charitable organization that does this (it costs about 8 thousand dollars and is the easiest way).
An American in a car can pick us up in Tijuana and take us to the US checkpoint, where we will immediately ask for asylum.
Or just try to walk past the Mexican police to the American border guards (some people succeeded).
For this, our family will need from 9 thousand dollars if we buy an air ticket two or three months in advance and if we find a way to get to the border for free, and up to 20 thousand dollars if we take tickets for earlier dates and use the services of a charitable organization.
It's scary for us to leave everything we have in Russia, but it's even scarier to stay.
In the USA I am going to start making my jewelry again and sell it all over the world (I was forced to stop selling it due to the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and the withdrawal of PayPal and Etsy from Russia, where I had over 2500 sales) . My wife is trained as a cook and is now working in retail, she wants to try some of this in the US.
I will be very grateful to you for your help! If you cannot help with money, tell your friends and acquaintances about this article, maybe they have some acquaintances or knowledge that can help us.
PayPal Jennifer (Harry’s), who helps us. Sign "for Maksim": [email protected]
Perhaps you have some advice. I will gladly listen to them. Write to me at e-mail [email protected] or on Facebook.
And I will be very grateful to you if you support me by buying my tutorials: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/maksimmantuli/extras
by subscribing to my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/maksimmantuli
or buying me “coffee”: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/maksimmantuli
My Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mantulimaksim
Facebook of my wife: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100023240538027
Facebook Jennifer: https://www.facebook.com/jenwheeler76