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Russian Influencer Left In Tears After President Vladimir Putin Bans Instagram
Facebook might also become inaccessible soonest.
From 14th March, 80 million Russians will no longer have access to Instagram as their country’s communications agency has insisted it calls for violence against its citizens. This ban follows the decision to also block access to Facebook, having accused META of making an unprecedented decision, posting information containing calls for violence.
Business Insider and NEXTA TV reported that META has since been labeled an extremist organization by Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, who hope to have it branded as such under Russian law.
Reacting, the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, has responded to the action, saying the move will mean that Russians are cut off from one another and the world at large. While Mosseri has insisted that the ban was “WRONG,” an influencer’s emotional response to losing her audience has enraged some internet users.
The Russian blogger was seen in floods of tears in a video that British Health Secretary Sajid Javid has retweeted.
One of the #Russian bloggers cries that in two days her Instagram will stop working
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 11, 2022
She does not care at all about the thousands of dead people, including her compatriots. Obviously, her biggest worry right now is that she won’t be able to post pictures of food from restaurants. pic.twitter.com/LSdBiSlwHr
In it, the influencer urged that the impact of the Instagram ban extends further than just the financial impact and stated in 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 her audience she was in the first stages of grief.
As with being comforted by many comes being criticized by a few. NEXTA TV took to Twitter and described the influencer as not caring 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.” Some also expressed their distaste, as one wrote: “Still no sympathy. I think all my sympathy is being used up elsewhere right now.
Another expressed being in disbelief and theorized the influencer doesn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation in Ukraine. They wrote: “This shows she has no clue about what is really happening. It should be a stark warning to us all who have access to a free press. If she knew, I’m sure this would not be her reaction.”