14 April 2026
Victoria Bonya, a former contestant on the reality show “Dom-2” and a popular blogger who lives in Monaco, recorded an 18-minute video message to Vladimir Putin “on behalf of the people,” which she published on her Instagram account (which has 12.9 million followers). In it, she stated that Russians fear the government, and that Putin “doesn’t know much” about the real state of affairs in the country, and warned of a brewing rebellion. “They’re afraid of you. The people are afraid of you, bloggers, artists are afraid of you, governors are afraid of you. But you’re the president of our country. I don’t think we should be afraid,” Bonya said, adding that a “thick wall” has grown between the people and Putin.
According to the blogger, Putin isn’t being told the truth, so he’s unaware of five key issues: the flooding in Dagestan, where victims haven’t received aid for a long time (and visiting officials were given a carpet to keep their feet clean); the oil pollution along the coast in Anapa, which hasn’t been cleaned up yet; potential legislative changes that would allow the hunting of endangered species; the mass slaughter of livestock in the Novosibirsk region (which, according to Boni, is being carried out by large producers); and the blocking of social media and messaging apps, which has hit small businesses in particular. “People are screaming at the top of their lungs right now. They’ve been robbed of everything they have, and it’s still being taken away. Business is dying,” she said, adding that one of the most popular search queries right now is “how to leave Russia.” The blogger pointed out that the Russian authorities are “compressing” Russians and warned: “one day this spring will snap.”
Bonya also highlighted the sharp rise in prices, the prosecution of blogger Lerchek and her ex-husband, Artem Chekalin, and criticized MP Vitaly Milonov’s offensive statements about women. She called on Putin to create a platform for direct communication with the people in the Max messenger, emphasizing that “the government serves the people, not the other way around.”
Bonya’s address came amid a decline in Putin’s approval ratings. According to VTsIOM, his approval rating fell to 67.8% in the week ending April 5—the lowest since February 20, 2022. Over the past four weeks, it has dropped 4.9 points, and 10 points compared to the end of last year. An open poll (respondents self-identify the politicians they trust) showed a drop in trust to 29.5%—the lowest since the beginning of the war.
Political scientist Abbas Gallyamov linked this to internet blockages, messaging app shutdowns, and war fatigue. He also noted that Putin’s official “approval rating,” which VTsIOM maintains at around 70%, isn’t really a rating, but rather a “fear indicator,” reflecting not actual public approval but the number of people who weren’t afraid to tell state sociologists they didn’t support Putin.
“…she said, adding that one of the most popular search queries right now is “how to leave Russia.”
In other countries, the people made the president leave the country. The Euromaidan is the best example. But the ruskies never had as much courage as the Ukrainians.