Karolina Koval, Fudan University (China), Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology (Russian Academy of Sciences) - special for InfoBRICS
You are a well-known blogger in Russia. What attracted you to Russia?
You know, that is a question I get a lot, but the answer is quite simple. I have always been curious, and I like to ask questions. I don’t trust in the mainstream opinions and establishments, I like to make my own opinions and choices.
After the conflict in Ukraine started I saw how a hate where growing towards not just Russia as a state, but ordinary Russian people. I have seen Russophobia first hand, and it made me sick to my stomach.
I met a Russian woman eventually and we became good friends, she also sparked my interest in the country. Eventually it came to that I left to Russia to make my own opinion. I never regretted it since.
Where did the idea to make content about Russian life come from? Who are you originally by profession?
The idea to make content was nothing i pre planed, it started with that i just took some videos to share with my family and friends, however everyone was really surprised by what they saw, and they started sharing my content with others. As the exposure came quite naturally i decided to try to make some TikToks, to my surprise already my first few videos exploded and gained massive attention.
You can say that most people in Norway where I come from believe that Norway is the best country in the world, we have been indoctrinated with this our entire life, trough school, trough tv personalities and trough our politicians. You can ask anyone in Norway, and they will say that Norway is the best country in the world and they genuinely believe it.
However, when it comes to Russia what we learn is quite the opposite. I was told my entire life that Russia were only forests, poor people and dictatorships. A gas-station with nukes is a term frequently used to describe Russia in all of the western world, as even mentioned by the famous American politician and former first lady Hillary Clinton.
My videos showed that this narrative is completely false. I never in my life saw so many large and beautiful buildings, i never saw a people that had such a high focus in its history, culture and heritage. Russia is beautiful, and so is its people, totally independent what anyone may think about Russia as a state, and i bring people the evidence through their screens.
What are Norwegian stereotypes about Russia?
Haha, this is a funny one. In a way i answered this a bit in your former question but I can expand a bit in a different direction. So people think about cheap but good vodka, bears, matryoshka dolls, and Putin.
I know people think that Russian men who speak English can sound quite scary when they have a heavy accent. This is probably because Hollywood often portrays Russians as evil, it’s a familiar term for most with: evil Russians.
What do you think are the cultural similarities between Russia and Norway?
You know, that is a lot more than people think, but still it is extremely different. We communicate and think similarly, our people is natural friends, just like in the arctic our people have merged together for centuries.
In 2024, it was reported that the BRICS countries were discussing the creation of a scientific center in Svalbard. It was planned that it would become an analogue of the Norwegian Svalbard University (UNIS). How did Norway react to this initiative?
I actually lived on Svalbard for most of 2023, and I have many friends there. The BRICS research centre for instance is not something viewed popular in Norway. Of course everyone who signed the Svalbard treaty of 1925 including Russia has rights to the exploit the land for resources.
How close is Norway's cooperation with the BRICS countries at the moment?
You know, I would say at a minimum with Russia, but with some other countries like China it’s extremely high.
What is BRICS for you?
For me BRICS is a protest and alternative to the EU, and the partnerships of the western world and NATO countries.
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