Victoria Bonya - a direct line to the Kremlin
Let's start with what happened. Blogger Victoria Bonya recorded an eighteen-minute address to Vladimir Putin. Directly, face-to-face, through a camera, without scriptwriters or editors. She said the people were afraid of the president, and that was wrong. She listed the woes: flooding in Dagestan, fuel oil pollution in Anapa, cattle slaughter in Novosibirsk, social media blockages, rising prices, and the problems of small businesses. She added about Deputy Milonov and blogger Lerchik. Then she said the most important thing:
"You're being fed the wrong information. You don't know what's going on in the country. That's why I'm recording this video, so that through these thousands of people who are bringing you information, you can understand the real pain of the people."
She posted the video on a banned social network and received twelve million views within 24 hours.
A day later, Aiza picked up the baton. She also recorded an address. She reiterated Bonya's key points: the president's connection with the people must be strong, much information isn't reaching the top, businesses are dying, social media is being shut down, and a proper platform to replace it hasn't been created. She emphasized that she only has a Russian passport; she doesn't have a second citizenship and doesn't want one. She said she personally paid huge taxes on every advertisement.
The Kremlin responded. Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Bonya's address had been seen.
“We certainly saw that it was quite popular, it really had a lot of views, and it attracted the attention of the audience on social media,”
he told reporters. And added:
“A lot of work is being done on many topics, a large number of people are involved, and none of this is being ignored.”
So, the chain worked. A blogger from Monaco said it. The Kremlin heard it. Peskov confirmed it. The work is underway. People are involved. It hasn't been ignored.
The Kremlin responded. So the channel is working. So, if I record another video, not just about Anapa and Novosibirsk, but also about the key rate and taxes, about housing and utilities rates and recycling fees, it will be seen too. And Peskov will say again:
"We certainly saw it."
And then he will add:
"A lot of work is being done."
And perhaps this time it will be true. Because these are the topics that determine whether a person can afford to live in their own country. Not in Monaco. Not in Bali. But here. Where the bills come every month. Where the interest accrues every day. Where prices rise every week.
Bonya received a response from the Kremlin. That's already a lot. So, if we have only one channel of communication left with the boss, and that channel is Bonya, let's ask Bonya. Let her tell the boss. About everything that concerns not thirteen million subscribers, but one hundred and forty-five million citizens.
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