Russian influencers and public figures have issued a series of rare appeals to President Vladimir Putin, saying many Russians are afraid to speak up about problems they face and criticizing what they called “an intention to bring us back to the U.S.S.R.” The appeals began when blogger and influencer Viktoria Bonya called on Putin to address mounting social and economic pressures that have dominated national headlines in recent weeks. “The people are afraid of you, artists are afraid, governors are afraid,” she said, adding that she was not. “There is a huge wall between you and us ordinary people, and I want to break through that wall,” she said in the 18-minute video, which has garnered 24.1 million views and over 1 million likes in the past two days. “We consider you an excellent politician, but there is a lot you don’t know,” said Bonya, who is best known for appearing on the popular reality TV show Dom-2 and lives outside Russia. She listed issues “that no governor would tell” Putin about, including devastating flooding in Dagestan, oil pollution along the Black Sea coast, the culling of livestock in Siberia and internet shutdowns, as well as rising prices and tax burdens on small businesses. “People are screaming out loud right now. They’ve been stripped of their last resources and they continue to lose more. Businesses are dying,” she said. “People are googling how to leave Russia. It’s one of the most popular search queries right now.” Public criticism of Putin or government policies can lead to prosecution and blacklisting by the authorities for both celebrities and ordinary citizens. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Bonya had brought up “very significant issues,” but that authorities were already working to address them. “We have seen the video. It is quite popular and has received a large number of views,” Peskov said, adding that “none of these problems have been left without attention.” Popular blogger Aiza Dolmatova posted an eight-minute video in which she sharply criticized corruption among lawmakers as well as rising taxes and utility tariffs. In the since-deleted clip, Aiza suggested that Putin is likely “not actually aware” of what is happening and only receives information from specially prepared briefings. Even pro-Kremlin actor Ivan Okhlobystin, who once described the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war,” joined in the appeals to the Kremlin leader, calling the clampdown on the internet and foreign social media platforms “a huge mistake.” “If they want to bring us back to the U.S.S.R., then a time machine would need to be built first. Without that, it simply won’t work,” he said. Political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky said Bonya’s appeal fits the classic “Good tsar, bad boyars” narrative, in which problems are blamed on lower-level officials rather than the leader. Political scientist and former Putin speechwriter Abbas Gallyamov said the appeals reflect “tectonic shifts” in Russian society. “Many people in the opposition …are reacting to all this with mockery,” he said. “That is completely unfair, because Bonya is bringing a fundamentally new audience into the opposition camp that wasn’t there before.”
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Russian influencers and public figures have issued a series of rare appeals to President
Vladimir Putin, saying many Russians are afraid to speak up about problems they face
and criticizing what they called an intention to bring us back to the USSR.
The appeals began when blogger and influencer Victoria Bonia called on Putin to address
mounting social and economic pressures that have dominated national headlines in recent weeks.
The people are afraid of you. Artists are afraid.
Governors are afraid," she said, adding that she was not.
There is a huge wall between you and us ordinary people,
and I want to break through that wall," she said in the 18-minute video,
which has garnered 24.1 million views and over 1 million likes in the past two days.
We consider you an excellent politician, but there is a lot you don't know," said Bonia,
who is best known for appearing on the popular reality TV show Dom 2 and lives outside Russia.
She listed issues that no governor would tell Putin about,
including devastating flooding in Dagestan, oil pollution along the Black Sea coast,
the culling of livestock in Siberia and internet shutdowns,
as well as rising prices and tax burdens on small businesses.
People are screaming out loud right now. They've been stripped of their last resources,
and they continue to lose more. Businesses are dying," she said.
People are googling how to leave Russia. It's one of the most popular search queries right now.
Public criticism of Putin or government policies can lead to prosecution and
blacklisting by the authorities for both celebrities and ordinary citizens.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Bonia had brought up
very significant issues, but that authorities were already working to address them.
We have seen the video.
It is quite popular and has received a large number of views,
Peskov said, adding that none of these problems have been left without attention.
Popular blogger Iza Dolmatova posted an 8-minute video in which she sharply
criticized corruption among lawmakers as well as rising taxes and utility tariffs.
In the since-deleted clip, Iza suggested that Putin is likely not actually aware
of what is happening and only receives information from specially prepared briefings.
Even pro-Kremlin actor Ivan Okhlobistin,
who once described the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a holy war,
joined in the appeals to the Kremlin leader,
calling the clampdown on the internet and foreign social media platforms a huge mistake.
If they want to bring us back to the USSR, then a time machine would need to be built first.
Without that, it simply won't work, he said.
Political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky said Bonia's appeal fits the classic
good czar, bad boyars narrative in which problems are blamed on
lower-level officials rather than the leader.
Political scientist and former Putin's speechwriter Abbas Galiamov
said the appeals reflect tectonic shifts in Russian society.
Many people in the opposition are reacting to all this with mockery, he said.
That is completely unfair, because Bonia is bringing a fundamentally
new audience into the opposition camp that wasn't there before.
A large-scale landslide stretching several kilometers occurred in the Republic of Dagestan.
The incident took place in a mountainous area near the village of Nizhny Ubikamaki
in the Levoshinsky district.
Tons of soil broke off from the mountainside and fell into a local river,
creating a risk of flooding for nearby settlements.
According to Russian media, a high alert had previously been declared in the area
due to the risk of landslides.
Several residential houses were located within the danger zone.
The cause of the landslide is believed to be heavy rains that have continued in the region
since the end of March, saturating the soil with water and triggering the collapse.
No information about casualties has been reported.
Ukraine Security Service of Ukraine, known as SBU, and the Unmanned Systems Forces of
Ukrainian Armed Forces have destroyed Russian fuel trains near eastern Luhansk region.
During reconnaissance operations, the SBU determined that at railway stations near Luhansk,
Russian troops had accumulated freight trains carrying fuel intended to supply
Russian military equipment.
After confirming the targets and transmitting coordinates to the Unmanned Systems Forces,
precision strikes were carried out on the Russian facilities.
Tank cars containing petroleum products were destroyed,
and the railway infrastructure was also significantly damaged.
Video released in social media features precision strikes at Russian targets
followed by strong explosions.
It should be noted that Ukraine has scaled up strikes on Russia's strategic and military
facilities in occupied parts of Ukraine as well as deep in Russia in an effort to
undermine the Kremlin's war efforts.
Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted Russian rail networks used to transport fuel
and other supplies to frontline units, aiming to disrupt logistics that are critical to
sustaining military operations.
Railways remain one of Russia's primary methods for moving large quantities of fuel
over long distances, so even limited damage can create cascading delays.
A combined strike by Ukraine's security service targeted Russia's A-layer defense
system on the night of April 16, Ukraine's military reported.
A total of 16 military targets minus three air defense systems, two Iskander bases,
Rubicon elite Russian units base, two oil depots, logistical support facilities,
and other enemy assets were hit.
Video releases in social media shows multiple strikes on Russian targets.
The struck targets include an Iskander tactical missile system base in the settlement of
Mezgari, in Russia-occupied Crimea peninsula, Iskander tactical missile system base in the
settlement of Kurordan, Crimea, a Pantsir air defense missile gun system in Feodosia,
Crimea, an Osaak air defense system in Vodyan, in eastern Donetsk region, a Buk-M1 air
defense system in Bohotivka, temporarily occupied Zaporozhye region, Oktyabrskoy oil
depot in Crimea.
In addition, Yar oil depot in Crimea, an ammunition depot of the 758th Logistics Center of
the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Mezgari, Crimea were hit.
A logistics point, workshop, and UAV warehouse of the Rubicon unit were hit in Herne,
Donetsk region.
Furthermore, SPS pilots took part in a successful strike on an oil refinery in Tuapse,
Krasnodar region in Russia.
The attack comes after Russia launched one of its largest-scale airstrikes on Ukraine
on Thursday night, killing at least 16 people and injuring over 100 others.
