ПОБРАТИМСКИЕ СВЯЗИ СОВЕТСКОЙ КАРЕЛИИ В ДОКУМЕНТАХ И ВОСПОМИНАНИЯХ УЧАСТНИКОВ
SOVIET KARELIA’S SISTER CITY TIES IN DOCUMENTS AND PARTICIPANTS’ RECOLLECTIONS

Summary/Abstract: The study examines the city-twinning system of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a part of Soviet “people’s diplomacy”. The article aims to fill a gap in historiography concerning how state regulation of international contacts correlated with participants’ personal experiences and their understanding of life in foreign countries. Focusing on Karelia in the 1970s and the 1980s, when formal ties were established with cities in Finland, East Germany, France, Sweden, the United States, and West Germany, this research utilizes a qualitative analysis of archival documents and biographical interviews with individuals involved in the twinning movement. By comparing these two types of sources, the study suggests that there is a disconnect that is absent from official records but becomes evident through personal accounts: a gap between the official reporting and the actual impressions of participants when interacting with foreigners. The analysis reveals that although the participant selection process was officially strict, in practice it often reduced to formalities and personal recommendations. Furthermore, ambivalent attitudes toward the topic of World War II were revealed in interactions with partners from Finland, East Germany, and West Germany. The research demonstrates that discrepancies between official regulations and actual practices – regarding participant selection, reception and hosting of foreign guests, and behavioral strategies related to the wartime memory – were not incidental deviations but persistent and reproducible phenomena.

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