Blogger and musician Danya Milokhin discusses life after moving abroad and money troubles
Blogger, tiktoker, and musician Danya Milokhin, who left Russia last fall, revealed that she has almost run out of money after severing ties with the country. This was shared during a YouTube discussion led by Eldar Dzharakhov in the piece titled How the most popular tiktoker became homeless. Milokhin spoke frankly about the abrupt changes in her finances and her current focus on rebuilding stability abroad.
Milokhin recalled the moment she lost contact with Russia and the warning from her producer Yarik, who advised maintaining ties with her homeland because she had begun her career there. She admitted that she did not listen to that advice. She left Channel One and later wrote a diss about it for reasons she described as unclear. She performed a variety of songs with the hope of sustaining her audience. This decision appears to have affected the willingness of some partners to continue collaborations, contributing to her financial strain. Despite the hardships, Milokhin still hopes that her reach is far enough to sustain her career beyond these setbacks.
Currently, her income streams are limited to the occasional corporate event abroad. She is trying to manage expenses carefully and is investing in her health as a priority. Milokhin explained that she has invested in herself, even going so far as to improve her dental aesthetics so her appearance can support her earnings. She said she is determined to present herself in the best light to attract opportunities and maintain visibility online.
Another major change involved selling a Maybach luxury car, priced far below its market value at around 5 million rubles. This sale illustrates a shift away from former luxury living that had included high-end purchases such as sneakers worn for display. Milokhin acknowledged that money has become scarce and that a return to Russia is unlikely for a long period. The move abroad and the financial adjustments have become a part of her current reality.
Despite these challenges, Milokhin remains optimistic about reviving her online presence. She envisions rebuilding her career independently, without the Dream Team House team with whom she previously collaborated before relocating to the United States. Dream Team House has since relocated to the USA, but Milokhin intends to pursue her next steps on her own terms, guided by her own ideas and pace. The shift signals a move toward self-reliance in navigating the online ecosystem. The influencer noted a sense of boredom with previous collaborations and indicated an association with a person who holds considerable influence in the scene. She confessed some reluctance to return to the same dynamic, even though Dubai had captured her interest, pointing to a future that remains uncertain and open-ended. Milokhin suggested that a return to public life or political arenas could occur, but she did not specify a timeline. The interview frames her as exploring new directions while acknowledging past associations and the emotional pull of different locales.
Milokhin first rose to prominence in 2019 after launching a TikTok account and posting short videos. Initially based in Anapa, she soon relocated to Moscow and in 2020 established the Dream Team House TikTok collective, which helped launch various well-known Russian creators into the spotlight. By 2021, Milokhin released multiple tracks and videos that resonated with teenagers online. Her projects attracted advertising collaborations with large brands, and her follower counts grew to millions on TikTok and Instagram, with estimates of 14 million and 3 million respectively. Industry chatter suggested that brand integrations could cost advertising budgets ranging from a few hundred thousand rubles to around one million rubles per campaign. The 2021 period saw Forbes estimating her annual income at around $1.5 million, reflecting the height of her online influence from that era.
When Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine, Milokhin did not publicly take a definitive stance. By the fall of 2022, after the partial mobilization was announced, she left Russia for the United Arab Emirates and has resided in Dubai since then. Concurrent with her departure, she exited the Ice Age show on Channel One, where she had partnered with figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva. Milokhin explained that she felt drained and questioned the purpose of continuing if passion for the work was lacking. She urged that work should be done with love, a sentiment she shared as part of her personal assessment of her career choices.
In February 2023, Milokhin admitted that she had spent much of her savings in Dubai and was not earning as she once did due to a lack of new advertising offers. She noted that friends were helping her financially during that difficult period. At the end of March, she experienced a scooter accident on the Thai island of Phuket involving fellow musician and rapper Morgenstern, who had also left Russia. The incident resulted in minor injuries for both parties, and they moved on from the event with only superficial damage to their plans. The episode underscored the ongoing turbulence in the lives of high-profile creators who navigate rapid changes in locations and opportunities.
Throughout these developments, Milokhin, now pursuing a forward-looking path, remains focused on rebuilding a sustainable presence online. She continues to adapt to shifting markets, audience expectations, and the evolving digital landscape—an ongoing journey marked by resilience, strategic pivots, and the ever-present possibility of a comeback. Commentary on her career path reflects the broader reality facing many digital talents who trade domestic visibility for international opportunities while balancing personal and professional demands. The narrative highlights how fame in the digital era can be deeply tied to place, partnerships, and the ability to reinvent in response to changing circumstances, with Milokhin at the center of that unfolding story as observed in the YouTube discussion and related coverage from industry observers and peers. The portrait remains that of a young creator navigating fame, fortune, and the challenges of sustaining momentum across borders, markets, and media trends. This ongoing situation provides a case study in how rapidly online influence can evolve when personal choices intersect with global mobility and shifting regional opportunities, as reported by Eldar Dzharakhov through his coverage of Milokhin’s experiences post-move.