Overview
- Viktoria Bonya, a Monaco-based Russian influencer with about 13 million followers, posted a viral Instagram video addressing Vladimir Putin and listing daily grievances such as internet shutdowns, oil spills on the Black Sea coast, and floods in the Caucasus.
- The Kremlin publicly replied through spokesman Dmitri Peskov, who said the president is informed and that the authorities are taking these problems into account.
- The video drew tens of millions of views and intense reaction inside Russia, with state-aligned media figures attacking Bonya and other public personalities defending her.
- Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov amplified the furor by warning of economic collapse before softening his remarks after they drew wide notice.
- Reporters and analysts link the episode to broader stress in Russia’s economy, citing persistent inflation, falling consumption, tighter credit, and business disruptions from internet cuts, and note that the message spread on Instagram, a platform officially banned in Russia.