The main reaction to Putin, Lavrov, Peskov in Russian Telegram has become the clown emoji
A tectonic shift is observed in the moods of Russian society.
Vladimir Putin. Photo: Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
The ability to leave reactions is no longer available in all pro-government and pro-war Russian channels. And where it has remained, there are often manipulations, sometimes even from the first minutes of a post's existence. Bot factories also operate, leaving appropriate comments and boosting likes under them.
But posts without manipulations, if they appear, allow one to track the evolution of Russian public opinion.
Some time ago, "clowns" and "dislikes" became the main reaction in Telegram channels to any appearances and statements by Dmitry Peskov, Sergei Lavrov, Sergei Shoigu. In June of this year, the "clown" became the main reaction to Putin as well.
Here are screenshots from the Kremlin-loyal Shot channel as of June 24. Under a message about Vladimir Putin's initial statements: "Russian troops are advancing...", "Kyiv is only trying to pretend..." — laughter, monkeys, dislikes. The "clown" reaction is not available in Shot's assortment.
And here are reactions to statements by Putin and Peskov in the Z-channel "Belarusian Silovik" as of June 24.
"Russian troops are advancing, have taken Konstantinovka..." — clowns.
"Western countries are preparing for war with Russia..." — clowns.
"The situation for Kyiv on the front is getting worse day by day..." — clowns.
Inside Russia, the media is not free, and sociology has ceased to be independent; sociologists distort the results of their research under pressure from repressive bodies. Changes in public opinion have to be tracked by indirect signs.
The imperialist war in Ukraine has reached a stalemate. It seems that precisely the long-range strikes that Ukraine has intensified since spring of this year, have forced the population of Russia to change its attitude. The reality, as given to them in sensation, has diverged from what Putin says.
It can be expected that even on the last Z-channels, the ability to choose "clown" and "shit" reactions will no longer remain. Russian authorities and their Minsk elements believe that they can keep their peoples in an artificially constructed reality through social engineering means.