Dan Hardoon

Many people believe that Russia is some kind of conservative paradise and it's the last bastion of moral religious values in Europe.

I would personally say that is not entirely the truth.

He says he wanted to correct the misconception that Russia is some kind of conservative paradise.

Not really.

For example, there's a prevalence of single-parent households and abortion being very widely accepted and divorce rates in many regions being extremely high.

Ben is right about these contradictions.

So is Russia really a conservative utopia?

Well, it depends a bit on what you mean by conservative.

Russian society is certainly more traditional than much of the West, with a strong emphasis on family, religion and national identity.

But that's not quite the same as the conservatism many Westerners might think of, one that also places a high value on individual freedom and political choice.

Do you think anyone who comes on this visa ends up being surprised that it's not this very conservative society?

I've come across people who have been surprised.

They're not normally the ones making videos.

Ben's video soon caught the attention of other online influencers.

Some pro-Ukraine accounts said Ben's video was proof that life for Westerners in Russia is a nightmare.

Those supporting Russia said that wasn't what Ben was saying at all.

What was the experience like for you, seeing people taking your video and spinning their own narratives out of it?

At times I didn't like it, because obviously no one likes words being put in their mouth.

But in general, I mean, it got me 3,000 subscribers.

That's a plus, I guess.