A video of a Russian woman criticizing the Putin government goes viral. The Kremlin even reacts publicly.
April 19, 2026, 06:3704/19/2026, 07:09
Thomas Wanhoff / t-online
In Russia, an actress and TV celebrity is causing a stir with her blatant criticism of Putin’s government. Victoria Bonya warned President Vladimir Putin in a video that a mountain of problems in the country was threatening to spiral out of control. “An appeal to Vladimir Putin from all concerned Russians,” she wrote under the clip.
“People are afraid of you, artists are afraid, governors are afraid,” she said in the 18-minute video on Instagram, which has racked up 26 million views and more than 1.5 million likes in the past four days.
Wow! In Russia, even those we least expected are starting to revolt!
The Kremlin has even pissed off popular Russian blogger Victoria Bonya.
“What kind of country is this? They’ve shut down the internet, Instagram, Telegram! We need to wake up society!” she says.
Lucky for… pic.twitter.com/IzoICZHRIh
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 15, 2026
Bonya, who also became known in the country through the Russian version of Big Brother, raised issues that she believes are not being brought to Putin’s attention: floods in Dagestan, air pollution on the Black Sea coast, mass killings of animals in Siberia, internet blackouts and the pressure on small businesses from rising taxes and costs.
Kremlin reacts: problems should be solved
“And do you know what the risk is,” the celebrity living abroad asked Putin.
“That people are no longer afraid and that they are like a wound spring that will one day go loose.”
According to the British “The Guardian”, there was a reaction to the video from the Kremlin. It was said that they are working on solving the problems that Bonya raised. In the comments, many users agreed with her. This is what one woman wrote:
I don’t even have a real business, I have a small business that’s dying. I’m a mother and I can only buy ‘treats’ for my children for 15 rubles (17 cents). The fear is growing, I can’t pay for the apartment or the loans.”
Influencer Bonya did not address the war against Ukraine in her video. According to the Guardian, there is speculation that the video was previously agreed upon with the Kremlin. There are parliamentary elections in Russia in September, and it could be an attempt to show that the government is taking the concerns of the people of Russia seriously.
Expert: War fatigue is making itself felt
However, some experts consider the criticism to be authentic. “War fatigue is now really making itself felt,” Andrei Kolesnikov, a Moscow-based political scientist and author of a recently published book on Putin’s ideology, told the Guardian.
“People are gradually becoming aware that everything that is happening is a result of the war.”
Abbas Gallyamov, an exiled former adviser to Putin, told the newspaper that public appeals from Russian celebrities like Bonya could lead to further discontent in society. “Bonya brings a completely new audience to the opposition camp that didn’t exist before,” he said. «Discontent is growing, there are problems with the Internet, prices in stores are rising, the war is getting on people’s nerves. The state is interfering in their private lives,” he said.
Putin has lost popularity in polls, and on Wednesday he admitted at a meeting with high-ranking officials that there are major strains on the economy. He called on his ministries and the National Bank to provide explanations.
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