A couple holding a paper map – symbolizing their inability to use GPS during internet shutdowns – are questioned by police during a protest against internet restrictions in Russia. In Saint Petersburg, March 29, 2026. ANDREI BOK/SOPA IMAGES VIA REUTERS CONNECT
As the Kremlin continues its efforts to block internet access, an Instagram post went viral in Russia, racking up 24 million views and 1 million likes in the four days after it was published, on April 14. The video was posted from abroad by Victoria Bonya, a former Russian reality TV star now living in Monaco, determined to say directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin "what no governor would dare to tell him." Her tone was emphatic: "People are afraid of you, artists are afraid, governors are afraid (…) There is an immense wall between you and us, the ordinary citizens, and I want to tear down that wall."
The influencer argued that those in charge were hiding their mismanagement of problems from the leader. She listed recent devastating floods in Dagestan, oil spills along the Black Sea coast, the brutal culling of livestock in Siberia, the rising cost of living and the blocking of internet access, lamenting the authorities' lack of response. She warned the president that these failings could fuel popular discontent. "We see you as an excellent politician, but there is much you don't know," the socialite whispered.
