I’m the daughter of a mail-order bride — here’s what I wish people knew

Katya as a bridesmaid at a wedding next to a picture of her mother (Picture: Katya Suvorova)

The year was 1997 and Katya Suvorova’s mother Yulia was getting ready to flee Moscow.

Yulia had ties to the mafia and needed to leave Russia, but after divorcing Katya’s father, her options were limited. So, she submitted herself for a mail-order bride catalogue, in the hopes she’d catch a man’s eye.

What ensued was decades of failed marriages, and trauma for Katya, who was along for the ride as her mother tried desperately to get their green cards which would afford them permanent residence in the U...