Chris Helmbrecht, born in 1971 in Munich, is a versatile creative with a career spanning multiple continents. After living in New York and Tenerife, he spent nearly two decades in Moscow from 2003 to 2022.

Early Years and Career

Following school, Chris served in the Federal Border Guard (now the Federal Police) from 1989 to 1997, spending five years with the helicopter unit near Munich. Simultaneously, he pursued a professional snowboarding career and began his journey as a journalist, writing columns for all German-speaking snowboard magazines. During this time, he even interviewed iconic bands like the Beastie Boys.

Musical Career

Chris has been a DJ for over 30 years, performing globally in cities like New York, Milan, Tehran, Tuscany, and Tenerife. In Moscow, he became one of the city’s most renowned party organizers and DJs, hosting successful events and running a creative agency.

Author and Blogger

His blog on stern.de about the wild life in Russia’s capital gained significant attention. In 2013, he published his book “Fucking Moskau!”, recounting stories of icy nights, captivating women, ruthless oligarchs, and the pursuit of money and pleasure in Moscow.

Present Day

After the war began, Chris left his Moscow home. Since September 2022, he has been living back in Munich, working in marketing and as a social media manager. Alongside this, he maintains a blog on his personal website and is developing a lifestyle online magazine.

The Documentary

Further insights into Chris Helmbrecht’s life in Moscow can be found in a documentary by N24 / Welt TV (45 minutes) in German. There’s also a 90-minute film, but unfortunately, it’s not on YouTube. The comments section alone is worth a read—ha ha! A big Thank You! to the former Welt TV correspondent Christoph Wanner, who became a friend.