Without street demonstrations, avoiding direct criticism of the leader, and without questioning Kremlin policies or military intervention in Ukraine. Russians have let Vladimir Putin know that they are not at all happy with the blocking of the internet and social media, making a video recorded for the Russian president by a popular blogger and TV presenter, Victoria Bonya, who currently lives outside Russia, tremendously viral.
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The message has already been seen by more than 20 million people, and more than 1.2 million have liked it on Instagram. On social media, Bonya has already been given a new name: “the voice of the people”.
In this viral video, which lasts about 18 minutes and was released on April 14, Bonya asserts that there are issues concerning her Russian fellow citizens that Putin should know about, but that the president is unaware because his subordinates lie to him or do not give him all the information. “We support you and believe you are a strong politician, but there are many things you don’t know, and that’s why I’m recording this video,” she tells him. The influencer, who became famous for the first editions of Russian Big Brother (Dom 2), is 46 years old and has nearly 13 million followers on Instagram. She stated that bloggers, artists, and Russian citizens themselves are also afraid of him. “But you are the president of our country, and I believe we should not fear you,” she noted.
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Specifically, Bonya referred to five issues that the Russian leader “should know about”: the recent floods in the Dagestan region, in the Caucasus; fuel spills “visible from space” on the Black Sea coasts; the seizure and slaughter of livestock in Novosibirsk (Siberia) due to a health emergency; the rules surrounding the hunting of endangered animals; and, of course, the restrictions applied to internet access, which the Kremlin justifies for security reasons linked to Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian territory.
“No (regional) governor will tell you, and I will explain why: because they are afraid of you,” Bonya said, addressing the Russian leader. According to the 46-year-old blogger, there is “a huge, thick wall” between Putin and the people, and “I want to break this wall” so that the president “ understands the people’s pain.” In the case of the Dagestan floods, she criticized regional authorities for their attitude towards the victims and their delayed reaction.
Regarding restrictions on accessing social media and media critical of the government, Bonya cited Instagram as an example, the platform through which her message reached the Kremlin. This is precisely one of the social networks that cannot be accessed from Russian territory without using a means to bypass the block, such as a virtual private network (VPN).
Bonya noted that this social network represents an opportunity for people to “see, communicate, buy” and lamented the damage to small businesses, which “wither” due to the restriction of access to it.
The Kremlin receives the message
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has blocked websites and media critical of the government. It is also not possible to access social networks such as Facebook, X, SnapChat, or the YouTube video platform in Russia. Last year, access to messaging platforms WhatsApp and Telegram began to be blocked. Authorities argue, among other things, that they have not complied with Russian laws to combat crime.
Far from rejecting these criticisms of the Russian authorities, the Kremlin has received them phlegmatically, noting that it is already addressing the cited issues.
“Certainly, we have seen the video. It is quite popular. In fact, it has many views. It has captured the attention of the audience on social media,” said Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, last Thursday. “These are very resonant topics. But, to be fair, a lot of work is being done on them. Many people are involved, and none of them are left unattended,” he added.
Hours later, Victoria Bonya thanked Peskov for his reaction and thanked Instagram users for their support. “I would betray my Russian spirit if I did not express what was a stone in my soul!” she wrote.
