Irina von Dreyer was born on December 15, 1915 in Moscow. In 1920, her family left Russia and she lost her citizenship.
However, despite the fact that her life was full of exciting events, Dreyer has always missed her homeland. In November 2015 it was announced that the baroness appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a request to grant her Russian citizenship. At the end of the month, Valdimir Putin signed the corresponding decree.
A brand new Russian passport became the main present on the baroness' 100th birthday, which she celebrated in the French Alps with her family. The document was granted to her by Russian Ambassador to France Alexander Orlov personally.
"Dear Irina, some time ago you revealed your dream — to get a Russian passport. Your dream came true, you are now a citizen of Russia," the diplomat said.
The baroness could not believe her eyes and put the document at once into her purse. She was so confused and excited about the unexpected gift that she even did not take a close look at the picture and the inscriptions inside.
"What? Do I have a Russian passport? This is unbelievable, I do not believe that this is happening to me," said the baroness touched by the long-awaited present.
On Tuesday, December 15, Irina von Dreyer will finally have an opportunity to receive her first passport stamp while she will be crossing the Russian border. The 100-year-old baroness is planning to visit Moscow — a trip she has been dreaming of for almost 95 years.
The program for the baroness' six-day visit to Moscow is extremely eventful. Irina is planning to undertake a sightseeing tour around Moscow, visit Red Square and attend a ballet performance in the Bolshoi Theatre. She will also meet prominent representatives of the Russian society, including the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova and Russian chess grandmaster Anatoly Karpov.
