Versuchen GOLD - Frei

The Russian minister who became a US truck driver

The Guardian Weekly

|

September 01, 2023

The former minister drove his big white truck north until he reached Michigan. The Great Lakes provided a welcome relief from the scorching Texas heat.

- Pjotr Sauer

The Russian minister who became a US truck driver

After years navigating the byzantine corridors of provincial Russian power, Denis Sharonov now works as a truck driver, steering his way through the vast highways of the US.

"It is heavenly up here in Michigan. Texas was too hot," said Sharonov, a former agriculture minister of the Komi Republic in northern Russia, in an interview.

Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has set off a historic exodus of his own people. But few career changes are as unusual as that made by Sharonov, who fled Russia in September 2022 after receiving his draft papers.

"A lot of people don't understand my choice. They mock me. They say I downshifted, from a regional minister to truck driver," Sharonov said. "But I don't see it that way at all. I am proud of what I do."

WEITERE GESCHICHTEN VON The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

Trump has shown there aren't any rules. We'll all regret that

I never thought it possible that you could look back on the Iraq war and feel some measure of nostalgia.

time to read

4 mins

January 09, 2026

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

The new world order 'according to Trump

With the audacious snatch and grab raid that extracted Nicolás Maduro to face trial in the United States, Washington sent a clear message to its allies and adversaries:

time to read

3 mins

January 09, 2026

The Guardian Weekly

The phone is ringing, but is it a scam? I'll ask my assistant

I am staring at my computer when my phone rings.

time to read

3 mins

January 09, 2026

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

The unlikely genius of Getdown Services

Scatological lyrics, social conscience, a commitment to fun and a shoutout from Walton Goggins - 2026 is going to be the laptop garage band's year

time to read

3 mins

January 09, 2026

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

Behind the race to get Americans back on the moon

With astronauts set to fly around the moon for the first time in more than half a century when Artemis 2 makes its ascent sometime this spring, 2026 was already destined to become a standout year in space.

time to read

3 mins

January 09, 2026

The Guardian Weekly

Striking it rich The US plan for involvement in Venezuela's 'bust' oil sector

The Venezuelan oil industry has been “a total bust” for a long time, according to Donald Trump.

time to read

2 mins

January 09, 2026

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

Life after extinction Science or science fiction?

A startup's plans for resurrecting lost creatures have caught the public's imagination but many researchers doubt that such a feat is possible

time to read

5 mins

January 09, 2026

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

It's a ridiculous time to be a man'

A group of male comedians is at the forefront of a new genre of social media comedy poking fun at our ever-shifting notions of modern masculinity

time to read

4 mins

January 09, 2026

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

Charting the global economy in 2026

With inflation predicted to cool, rising unemployment, weak growth and trade tensions pose fresh risks, while high debt and AI add to uncertainty in the year ahead

time to read

4 mins

January 09, 2026

The Guardian Weekly

High stakes for Mamdani as he must now deliver on his promises to New York

The multiple firsts achieved by New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, have been well chronicled: he is the first Muslim to occupy that role, the first south Asian and the first to be born in Africa.

time to read

2 mins

January 09, 2026

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size