1 of 1
Story summary
- President Vladimir Putin and security services suppressed dissent, continued the war, raised taxes, throttled apps and cut internet access.
- Instagram influencers and reality-television stars publicly criticized the digital-rights restrictions.
- Systemic opposition politicians reproached the government for restricting Telegram, Russia’s most widely used chatting app.
- Economic strain and tax hikes fueled dissatisfaction, expanding discontent before parliamentary elections since the 2022 invasion and dropping Putin’s approval to 65.6 percent for seven weeks.
