Perhaps it was only a matter of time, but Vladimir Putin has officially put the kibosh on Instagram use in Russia. This news comes in light of the ongoing battles between Russia and Ukraine. As you can imagine, some of Russia’s most prominent influencers are not happy.
Putin has long tried to censor Russian people on the internet. Prior to attacking the neighboring country of Ukraine, the leader of Russia banned some websites and created an extensive blacklist of words that are forbidden on Russian social media platforms.
Many Russians were already feeling frustrated with all these restrictions, but now that Instagram has been blocked from their use, the action effectively cuts communications between some 80 million Russians.
On top of that, some of Russia’s leading Instagram influencers have upwards of 23 million followers. Some will feel the sting more than others, but it’s clear that this latest ban will only serve to separate and divide the country from within.
Prior to Putin inciting war with Ukraine, the Russian people had gone as far as to say that Putin was turning into a dictator and was taking away their freedom of speech. Even without this terrible conflict, this can’t be good for Russia if it continues this way.
Could the Future of Russia Be at Stake?
The future of Russia could very well be at stake. The country has already had to endure an economic recession that’s been difficult for everyone, but now Putin and his government seem to be making it harder for Russian people to communicate with one another.
Whether the decision to ban Instagram was made out of fear, desperation, or control is unknown at this point, as there are already a lot of restrictions on what people are allowed to say online.
For many, it’s starting to feel like the government wants total control over the people in their country. The latest social media ban is just one of many ways Putin is trying to censor Russians and take away their freedom of speech.
It’s a slippery slope, and if this continues, things could get very bad in Russia. One would think that the last thing Putin wants is his own people turning on him. The attack on Ukraine has already caused division within Russia, and slowly chipping away at the freedom of its remaining citizens certainly won’t help matters.
