Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@nexta_tv
Topics: Russia, Instagram, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: Russia, Instagram, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine
A Russian influencer has come under fire for her reaction to president Vladimir Putin's decision to ban Instagram from the country. You can watch her video below (it contains some strong language):
From today (14 March), around 80 million Russians will no longer be able to access the popular social media platform after the country's communications agency claimed it 'calls for violence against Russians'.
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A Russian blogger has been captured responding to the news in floods of tears in a video which has since been widely shared and condemned online, and even retweeted by British Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
The influencer argued that the impact of the Instagram ban extends further than just the financial impact.
In a tearful video posted to Telegram she stated: [Translation] "Do you still think that for me as an Instagram blogger this is source of income? To me it's just it's all life.
"It's the soul. It's the one with which I wake up and fall asleep, f***ing five years in a row."
She concluded by telling followers she was in the first stages of grief.
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Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri revealed the move will mean that 80 million in Russia are cut off from one another and from the rest of the world, because '~80% of people in Russia follow an Instagram account outside their country'.
However, while Mosseri resolved that the ban 'was wrong', the influencer's emotional response to losing access to Instagram has enraged social media users.
NEXTA TV took to Twitter to condemn the influencer as not caring 'at all about the thousands of dead people including her compatriots'.
It said: "Obviously, her biggest worry right now is that she won't be able to post pictures of food from restaurants."
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Other users also fiercely flocked to the platform to express their distaste.
One wrote: "Still no sympathy... I think all my sympathy is being used up elsewhere right now..."
Another user was in such disbelief over her reaction that they theorised that the influencer must not fully understand the severity of the situation in Ukraine.
They said: "This shows she has no clue about what is really happening. It should be a stark warning to us all who have access to free press.
"If she knew I'm sure this would not be her reaction."
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A third countered: "We don’t know if she knows about the war in Ukraine and its real situation. Social media has become an income source, a real job, for thousands of people. It isn’t just vanity anymore.
"Russians are going to suffer due to this crazy war. She’s another victim."
The move to ban Instagram follows Russia's decision to also block access to Facebook, accusing Meta of making 'an unprecedented decision by allowing the posting of information containing calls for violence against Russian citizens,' as per Business Insider.
Meta has also been labelled an 'extremist organisation' by Russia's Prosecutor General's Office, who hope to have it branded as such under Russian law.
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If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.