New life for Dmitriy fleeing Putin's Russia

Hi, my name is Sebastian Leguizamon. I am raising funds to help my college roommate, Dmitriy Anoshin (the tall guy in the picture), start a new life after fleeing his home country (Russia) to avoid being drafted to fight a war he (along with many of us) condemns. The horrific acts of Russia's president have forced Dmitriy and his family (wife and daughter) to leave everything behind and try to start a new life in Montenegro- one of the only countries still allowing Russian migrants wanting to leave the country.

Dmitriy and I (the short one in the picture) roomed together while attending Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia (USA), where we both played sports while on athletic scholarships (him Basketball, me Soccer). Almost 20 years since we met each other, we are still in touch, which has allowed us to keep up with the ups and downs that life brings. While I became a university professor in the U.S., Dmitriy became a successful small business entrepreneur in Moscow. After acquiring years of experience working at the famous Russian coffee chain "Coffeemania", in 2019 Dmitriy decided to open his own coffee shop. His hard work and discipline paid off when his success allowed him to open a second shop. When things were going well, Russia's president decided to invade Ukraine and to drag his countrymen to a horrific war that has killed thousands of innocent people. Dmitriy opposition drove him to flee and start a new life in Montenegro. Unable to liquidate his businesses, he has had to start from scratch.

At the moment, Dmitriy is attempting to earn money by teaching Basketball lessons, but his passion for coffee and vision for business have driven him to get back to the life he left in Moscow. He would like to open a similar coffee shop in this new country, and has asked me to help him by raising some capital. He tried to raise the money by himself, but GoFundMe only works in certain countries. I really hope that together (you and I) can help him raise the funds he needs.

While the coffee shop he hopes to open in Montenegro will help him get back on his feet and provide for his family, he is also hoping to employ other Russian migrants in Montenegro (also fleeing the atrocious environment at home). Any help, big or small, will help Dmitriy start his new life, and he will greatly appreciate it. More than a friend, Dmitriy has been like a distant brother. While some of my friends living in the U.S. did not attend my wedding, Dmitriy came all the way from Moscow to be part of such an important day. I will help him by kickstarting the funding campaign by contributing the first $200, and I hope you can do the same.

He has promised to keep us updated on the progress once he gets access to the funds needed. As of now, he has asked me to share some of the videos he has made to show us his plans and prove how serious he is about this with the following links

Dmitriy's Plea

Potential Location -Video

Here is a picture of Dmitriy and his family; and one of us during a trip to NYC when we were in college back in 2002.