Our mission
Novika.info is an independent media outlet publishing practical guides, analysis and news about Russia. Our purpose: to give French and English speakers — expats, travelers, entrepreneurs, students, binational spouses — reliable, operational and up-to-date information to understand and navigate a country too often reduced to clichés.
We cover six pillars: visa and immigration, expatriation, travel, culture and society, Russian language, economy and business. Each guide is written to answer a concrete question — how much does rent cost in Patriarshie Prudy in 2026, how to obtain a single-entry e-visa, which banks still accept non-residents, which neighborhoods to avoid in Saint Petersburg — and not to inflate a word counter.
The team and founder
Novika.info is published by Valentin Limited, a company based in Hong Kong. The founder, Valentin Le Normand, is a French entrepreneur based in Moscow for several years. His knowledge of the country was built on the ground: consular paperwork, opening Russian bank accounts, finding housing in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, regional travel, running a Russian company day to day.
He also runs the international matchmaking agency Valentin.love and edits several French-language sites — arnaques-rencontres.fr (romance scam prevention), sigmaboy.fr (men's lifestyle) — which share the same editorial standard: sources, fact-checking, and concrete usefulness for the reader.
Novika guides are signed "Novika editorial team, from Moscow" when they result from collective work, or by name when a topic warrants it. Occasional contributors are identified by their name in the article frontmatter.
Editorial method
- Systematic verification: figures, dates and official procedures are sourced (consulates, Russian ministries, INSEE, EFS, central bank data).
- Targeted updates: each guide carries an updatedAt field and is revised whenever a regulation, price or procedure changes.
- No disguised commercial content: no publication is sponsored by the services it covers; any affiliate links are flagged at the bottom of the article.
- Journalistic approach: we separate facts, context and opinion. When a topic is sensitive (sanctions, geopolitics, traditional values), we say so and provide contradictory sources when they exist.
- Strict bilingualism: each guide exists in French and English, with proper hreflang and slugs adapted to each language.
Contact and corrections
Spotted an error, an outdated figure, or a topic suggestion? contact@novika.info. We fix and credit serious contributions.