Russian Influencer Targeted By Kremlin Under New Censorship Law After Posts Turn Political - Bloomberg
Veronika Belotserkovskaya, an influencer best known in Russia for glamorous Instagram posts on her life and cooking classes, has become one of the first targets of the country’s draconian new legislation that makes criticism of the war in Ukraine punishable by as many as 15 years in jail.
An unlikely candidate for the wrath of President Vladimir Putin’s government, the influencer known on Instagram as Belonika, had until recently mostly posted pictures of her glitzy lifestyle, featuring elegant locations and clothes, Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton accessories, flower bouquets, animals and cooking.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, her posts turned political, often searing in their opposition to the war and to Putin. In one post she’s dressed in a blue dress in front of a yellow door in a not-so-subtle nod at the Ukrainian flag. In a bolder post, she wrote, “I don’t consider the Ukrainian people as my enemy. I consider them as brothers and sisters. I consider this ‘special operation’ an invasive WAR against a sovereign state.” In others she describes Putin as “a tired of life man,” and his recent TV appearances “spooky.”
Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement that Belotserkovskaya’s posts “discredited” government authorities and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
They are “deliberate false information about the use of armed forces by the Russian Federation for the destruction of cities and against Ukrainian civilian population, including children, in the course of the special military operation on Ukrainian government territory,” the committee said.
Belotserkovskaya is not in Russia, and the country may seek to put her on international wanted lists, the committee said.
Belotserkovskaya -- whose posts suggest she spends a great deal of time in France -- didn’t immediately respond to Bloomberg phone calls and messages seeking comment. Her Instagram account, which says she was born in Odesa, has almost a million followers.
Putin signed into law new legislation after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, imposing prison terms of up to 15 years for people charged with spreading “fake news” about the military or calling for sanctions against Russia. Under those rules, the invasion cannot be described as a “war” but must be called a “special military operation.”
The move is the latest step in a major crackdown on independent media and freedom of speech in Russia. The legislation prompted many international news organizations, including Bloomberg, to suspend their news-gathering activities in Russia until the consequences of the new rules become clear.
Pressuring independent journalists in Russia is not new. Kremlin critic and journalist Anna Politkovskaya was killed in 2006 after earlier suffering a poison attack. Still, the targeting of a social-media influencer who is not in the political mainstream and who is outside Russia signals the country is widening its net.
The Kremlin earlier this month blocked access to Facebook and Instagram as part of a broader effort to keep out anti-Russia posts, silence dissent and limit information about the invasion of Ukraine.
“I woke up with the feeling I will never be able to go back home,” Belotserkovskaya wrote in a recent post.
source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-17/russian-influencer-among-first-targeted-under-new-censorship-law
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