Putin's new critics: The celebrity influencers warning Russians might 'snap'

RussiaPutin's new critics: The celebrity influencers warning Russians might 'snap'Celebrity influencer Victoria Bonya’s direct warning to Vladimir Putin this week that his people might “snap” prompted a rare acknowledgment of public criticism from the Kremlin. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Russian TV presenter and model Victoria Bonya at the Cannes Film Festival, France, in 2023.Loic Venance / AFP via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 18, 2026, 5:30 AM EDTBy Yuliya TalmazanFitness videos, makeup tutorials — and now a viral manifesto on the growing problems plaguing Russia.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.A celebrity influencer’s direct warning to Vladimir Putin that his people might “snap” has prompted a rare acknowledgment of public criticism from the Kremlin. The 18-minute Instagram critique was a surprise pivot for Victoria Bonya, a Monaco-based Russian influencer whose videos are better known for their lifestyle tips. But the former reality television star struck a chord in Russia, where disquiet has been bubbling for months over issues including a sweeping crackdown on the internet. Add NBC News to GoogleUkrainian president says robots captured territory from Russian soldiers03:03An increasingly sluggish economy and a lack of battlefield progress in Ukraine are also adding to the Kremlin’s woes.“There is a big, fat wall between you and us, the ordinary people,” Bonya, 46, said in a direct address to Putin earlier this week as she accused top officials of being too afraid to tell him the truth.She rattled off to her 13 million followers a number of problems that she said were facing Russia — the major curtailing of digital freedoms, mass extermination of livestock in Siberia, deadly flooding in the southern Dagestan region and the oil slick drifting off Russia’s Black Sea coast. People are hurting, she said, blaming officials she said were with...