Velker (33) moved to Ireland as a child from Omsk, a city in Siberia, Russia. “When I went back to Russia I’m identified as a European or American before they hear me speak fluent Russian. “I think it is probably smiling to strangers in the street. Which is not necessarily something that you will ever encounter in Russia or in eastern Europe. His recollections of life in Russia are fragmentary, but what really sticks in his mind is how fraught with tension everyday life was.

Source: The Irish Times March 03, 2026 09:00 UTC