Former UFC fighter Jeff Monson received honorary citizenship of Abkhazia in 2016, a breakaway region that is legally a part of Russia’s smaller neighbour Georgia.
President Vladimir Putin granted Monson Russian citizenship in 2018. On September 9, 2018, Monson was chosen to serve in the Krasnogorsk Duma (the local city parliament), a city close to Moscow. He was elected as a candidate on the ballot of the ruling United Russia party, which nominated him despite the fact that he was not a party member. The former UFC fighter had to give up his American citizenship in order to carry out his assignment, according to Russian law.
According to Tassru, a state-run media station in Russia, Jeff Monson has now decided to give up his US citizenship since he feels more at home there:
“I’m in the process of giving up [my] citizenship in the United States. I’ll only have a Russian passport in the spring. I disagree with American policies because they meddle in the internal affairs of other nations and inflict suffering to others. I do have kids in the US, but my heart belongs to Russia and the Russian people. Everything about this place suits me, and all I want to keep is my Russian passport.
Jeff Monson has persisted in promoting narratives about the conflict that are favoured by the Kremlin notwithstanding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In an effort to win over the Russian people to the war effort, the media frames the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict as a counterterrorism operation.
In a number of videos produced in April by the All-Russia People’s Front (ARPF), a political party founded by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Monson can be seen echoing talking points from the Moscow government. Russia has stated that its main goals are the demilitarisation, de-Nazification, and prosecution of those accountable for numerous atrocities against civilians.
Former UFC fighter Jeff Monson’s political views
Former UFC fighter Jeff Monson is an anarcho-communist. He has competed against athletes under the UFC brand, including Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin.
He presently hosts Monson TV, a political and social commentary programme that is broadcast on television and on social media and is supported by the Russian government. In 2015, Monson submitted an application for Russian citizenship, saying he is very proud of his Russian heritage. In 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him citizenship.
His political perspective is based on the notion that he is an anarchist who strives to overthrow all institutions that support social inequity. Monson is a part of the Industrial Workers of the World to demonstrate his support for the working class.