Member-only story
On the Day Ukraine Crossed the Border, YouTube in Russia Vanished
Despite limited success on the battlefield and a resilient economy, Russians are being increasingly isolated from the world.
The plans seemed to have been in place long before the switch was actually thrown, but just as Ukrainian troops crossed the border on the morning of August 6th, Russian citizens noted significant slowdowns in YouTube. Videos became unwatchable or watchable but in a grainy, foggy format with no sound.
Was it a coincidence that one of the most significant rips in Putin’s curtain was his taking place, and his Oz-like proclamations of being scary and all-powerful were in full view of the whole world? Nothing is a coincidence in Putin’s Russia. Without the ever-vigilant YouTube to remind more curious Russians what is actually happening, the government is now capable of spinning any variation of any web their nasty little hearts desire.
The official news sources guide Russians to Telegram channels where the Kremlin’s line is woven into every post. The headlines scream that Ukrainian troops are being routed, with accompanying videos of Ukrainian tanks blowing up. One post came from a commander on the ground who took a moment from the fighting to declare that “all around are French and Polish troops.” The narrative being driven by the Kremlin is that this “invasion” couldn’t possibly have been one carried out by Ukrainians, given how badly Russia has destroyed the fighting ability of their army. Only well-armed NATO troops could have made such quick progress, “but alas, they will be stopped by Russia’s heroes!”
I spoke to a friend from St. Petersburg last night. I sent a video from a Bruce concert we attended in Helsinki in 2012, and she wrote back with a teary-eyed that she couldn’t see it. We chatted by WhatsApp. She hadn’t heard much about the incursion into the Kursk region but said that from what she knew, it was already over.
“I don’t really follow any of this because I know our side lies, and now getting information has become much more difficult. Even VPNs are being shut down.”
In the way that right-wing media shuts down any possibilities for its viewers to receive any truth or…
