Dasha smiles at the camera and says in a baby voice, “Hello, I missed you all.” It’s March 11, a few weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, and the blonde 19-year-old Moscow-based influencer with 126,000 followers posted her stories on Instagram. . “I haven’t been on social media for more than a week and I want to talk about my news and the news from the world,” she said.
After a weekend trip to a friend’s dacha in the countryside, Dasha posted videos of her friends laughing, making pancakes or playing party games. The atmosphere is warm, the alcohol is flowing. On the next tile, Dasha looks solemnly at her phone. “I was constantly watching the news to find out what was going on in the world, and one thought would not escape my mind,” she wrote. Next tile: “Maybe I should leave Russia?” In bold red letters. In a smaller black text below, she explains, “At least for a while, until the situation calms down and we don’t get along better.”
Russian influencer Dasha, along with red hearts and the Russian flag Dasha, based in Moscow, asked her 126,000 Instagram followers if she should leave the country “until the situation calms down.”
Does Dasha’s concern about “world news” include criticism of Putin’s war in Ukraine? Not exactly. She later explained to her followers that what made her consider leaving Russia was the potential blow to her income now that the Russian government is blocking access to Instagram. She is also worried that martial law could mean that someone named Dennis, whom I consider her boyfriend, could be drafted into the army.
On her TikTok page, she seems to be briefly involved in a trend related to nationalist messages. In a video featuring the Soviet folk song “Katyusha”, Dasha wrote: “I hope my position is clear” and added the emoji of the Russian flag and heart. She later deleted the video.
Russia is home to a thriving community of influential people and content creators who live a luxurious life compared to the average citizen. Among the most popular is 22-year-old Dina Saeva, who has more than 7.6 million followers on Instagram and 24.5 million on TikTok, where she posts short dance moves to viral songs and maintains a constantly changing fashion aesthetic (including dressing up as goth, e-girl and “Insta baddie” in the style of Kylie Jenner). Like many of her peers, she mentions designer clothes, travel and her latest advertising campaigns. Dina’s friend Rahim Abramov became the highest paid creator of TikTok in the country in 2020. He made his name with comedy sketches on Instagram, often with his grandmother, but now his role includes music, luxury cars, custom clothing and sponsored publications. Blogger Nastya Ivleeva, who also developed her platform by posting related, humorous videos, is a little less flashy, though still incredibly rich, thanks to 18.7 million followers on her main Instagram account, 8 million on her “personal” And 4.4 million on YouTube. She hosts popular talk shows there, presents on television, deposits for her life and runs art campaigns with brands such as Prada.
A screen showing a Telegram post by a Russian influencer, along with crying emoji Dina Saeva, 22, has 24.5 million followers on TikTok and 7.6 million on Instagram – but only 170,000 have moved to Telegram, where many influencers have gone after the social media ban in March
Until Russia invaded Ukraine, nothing seemed to stop the fame of these young people. There is a huge audience for their content: 63.7% of Russians aged 16-64 use Instagram, and 46.6% are on TikTok. But as the war spreads online, the landscape of influential people seems to be losing its luster. In the last month or so, I’ve been following dozens of these social media accounts to get a deeper look at the minds of young Russians. I wanted to know about the feelings of influential people towards the war, the restrictions on their freedom of speech and how they react to the flood of sanctions and restrictions on social media. How does the pervasive atmosphere of fear, denial and resentment affect them and their young fans?
Russia first restricted access to Instagram on March 14. The government’s decision followed a confusing week in which Meta, the parent company of the social network, appears to be easing its hate policies to allow publications approving the violence in response to the invasion of Ukraine. He then clarified that this only applies to publications made in Ukraine. A week earlier, TikTok stopped live streaming and uploading new content to its service in Russia while reviewing the security implications of the country’s new “fake news” law. The law could lead to 15 years in prison for those who spread “false information” about a “special military operation,” as Russia calls the war; or calling for sanctions. Later in March, Russia banned Instagram and Facebook altogether, citing its extremism laws and describing the platforms as “extremist,” cutting off 80 million users.
An Instagram post by a Russian influential man showing gray screens, along with TikTok creator Rahim Abramov, Russia’s highest paid TikTok creator, 24-year-old Rahim Abramov, includes music, luxury cars and clothing. He took a break after the war broke out
When the war was officially declared, opinions among influential people were divided. Instagram culinary blogger and socialist Veronika Belotserkovskaya was one of the first to be accused of posting on Instagram, which investigators said “contained deliberately false information about the use of the Russian armed forces.” In her show, she published vivid photos showing the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag, and openly mocked the propaganda based on the Russian war-torn Z symbol.
Others, including Ivleeva, posted a black square in their “No to War” programs or called for peace. TV presenter Ivan Urgant also posted a black square to his 10 million followers on Instagram with the caption: “Fear and pain, not war.” That night, his late show on the big state Channel 1 was taken off the air and did not return. Urgant flew to Israel with his family, later explaining that it was a “holiday.” Other influential people continued to publish as before, only briefly mentioning the “situation”. A few, like Abramov, took a break from publishing, only to start again weeks later. Others openly supported Russia in the war, expressing patriotic sentiments in long inscriptions. Some of the most loyal came from outside the country, with Dubai-based Russian influencers like Sonya Plotnikova writing: “We will deal with all difficulties! ❤ Russia is the strongest country ❤ This whole situation will bring us all together! We have become even greater patriots. “
Black square in the Instagram post of a Russian influencer. On the night that Ivan Urgant posted this black square and the inscription of his 10 million followers on Instagram, his TV show on Channel 1 was taken off the air
Although restrictions on Western social media platforms have undoubtedly reduced their reach, Russians who know how can still access influencer content using virtual private network (VPN) services that create a secure encrypted connection that hides the location of the browser. And the platforms are still used by pro-Kremlin local users to spread misinformation and propaganda. TikTok has been named one of the worst, thanks to its huge user base and minimal content filtering. The multitude of accounts in which young people speak in front of the camera, parroting pro-Kremlin statements, has made some wonder if they are being paid for it. With many identical videos, often word for word, almost like bots, they create anti-utopian viewing. These younger influential figures appear to have become an instrument in Putin’s propaganda war to quell unrest and political discontent.
Ukraine’s TikToker says Russia is paying influential people to spread propaganda – video
An investigation by Vice News revealed some of the work of this coordinated campaign. A secret channel in the Telegram messaging app reportedly directs influential people on what to say, how to shoot videos, which hashtags to use and even post content at any time of the day. In one case, content creators were instructed to use an audio recording of Putin calling on all ethnic groups in Russia to unite in this time of conflict. The same phrases appear regularly, such as: “The liberation operation in Ukraine is necessary” and “Children deserve a peaceful sky above them.” Some of these videos have since been deleted.
On TikTok, videos under hashtags like #RussianLivesMatter have hundreds of millions of views. The folk song “Katyusha” appears regularly, with videos of users compared to images of Putin, Chechen military leader Ramzan Kadyrov or even Jesus, with the caption: “Who will help the Russians?” Or holding Russian passports in front of the camera, with the caption “I hope my position is clear.” Other publications use TikTok’s “mirror” filter: on the one hand, the user is under the word “Russia”; on the other, below Donbass, the coal-rich region on the border with eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian sentiment is high. The background song is Brother for Brother; the influencers pound their chests with their fists, synchronizing their lips: “We do not leave our own.”
Footage from a TikTok video of a Russian influential man compared to President Putin, along with Russian flags. TikTok features videos of users compared to Putin’s images
As early as April, young people could be seen holding signs or showing text on their phones with “Russophobia”, “Donbass”, “Hate Speech”, “Cancellation”, “Lugansk”, “Sanctions”, “Info Wars”. “Nationalism” and “The lives of Russians matter.” TikTok’s videos and dances in which young people use their hands to form a Z sign are marked under #RLM.
Images of young Russians in TikTok holding signs reading “Russophobia” or …
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