Hello!

This is Sveta Bronnikova, a journalist for the independent media outlet 7x7.

When state sociology stops reflecting reality, the true picture of life in the country moves online. In Threads, Instagram, Telegram, and other social networks and messengers, Russians speak out about the problems that worry them. Internet blocks, price shocks, and new waves of repression — these are the things being discussed and debated by Russians both inside and outside the country.

We’re also curious to know: what is happening in Russia that concerns you personally? Feel free to reply to this email and tell us about it; we’ll share your thoughts and experiences in our upcoming posts.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Russians сoncerned by Internet blocks and rising prices

For several years, the Russian authorities have been attempting to isolate citizens from the global internet by blocking messengers, independent media portals, and VPNs. Since 2025, Russians have also systematically encountered internet throttling. However, in February 2026, Roskomnadzor began blocking Telegram—one of the most popular messaging apps among Russians.

A resident of Vladivostok told 7x7 that he wanted to organize a protest in his city against the internet blocks and slowdowns because they affect not only his personal life but also his work:

"I’m exhausted by the blocking situation: to launch a foreign messenger, you have to turn on a VPN, but to access a Russian resource, you have to turn it off. The situation itself—not being able to use the internet normally—is stressful. There are places in the city where mobile internet doesn't work at all. It affects daily life. We have to communicate via mobile calls, but that costs a lot of money. At work, colleagues started communicating via email—but even email doesn't always work. You have to constantly look for new apps just to talk."

In Vladivostok, as in other Russian cities, the slowing and shutting down of mobile internet is allegedly linked to security measures. Authorities introduce restrictions to counter potential drone (UAV) attacks. However, there have never been any drone strikes in this region. The Vladivostok resident was unable to hold the protest; local authorities refused permission, claiming that construction work was being carried out at the protest site.

A resident of the Volgograd region also told 7x7 that the blocking has started to affect her family: "Even calling my grandmother, who lives in a different district, has become problematic."

Rising prices for goods and services is another major issue being discussed by Russians. Against the backdrop of skyrocketing costs, salaries are not increasing.

In early April, a Threads user wrote: "Irkutsk, how are you guys living? WHY is everything so expensive..." Other users replied: "We’re surviving," "We’re enduring and waiting for change," and "With God's help."

"It used to be that you’d go into a store with 1,000 [rubles] to grab a snack. Later, it was 3,000. Now you walk in with 5,000, you walk out, and you haven’t bought f*** all. You earn your money, you pay your monthly bills. All that's left is to save and survive until the next paycheck. And God forbid you get sick or need to change your clothes for the season.

When you see what they [the government] are deciding to increase the cost of next—more taxes and fines — you’re just f**ing stunned by the shtshow that's happening," wrote a Russian user in another Threads thread (author's spelling and punctuation preserved). 

In the same thread, another user from the Moscow region wrote that "everything has become brutally expensive," from groceries to utility bills.

Emigrated Russians are also concerned about the blocks, but some are angry that their compatriots have only now started "expressing outrage"

Stand-up comedian Kristina Balmina, who emigrated from Russia, posted a video on Instagram saying that people shouldn't support Russians who are surprised by internet blocks. She added that she wasn't talking about people with anti-war positions, but about those who, despite the war, stayed in Russia on purpose and "closed their eyes" to repression just to make money:

"I saw how much they didn't care. So now, when I see these former friends of mine with videos like 'What is happening in the RF??!', I get a gag reflex. To me, it's disgusting," she wrote under the video.

Instagram users supported her: "I used to scream back at their 'if we hadn't attacked first, then they would have...' Everyone told me to shut up, my relatives turned away, nobody supported me. So now what, I’m supposed to call their grumbling and whining over the internet 'speaking out and waking up'?! Of course not," wrote a Russian woman who emigrated to the US after the start of the war.

Russian Journalists Alarmed by New Wave of Repression Against "Novaya Gazeta" and "Memorial"

Novaya Gazeta, a publication that continued to work in Russia after the start of the war in Ukraine, reported on April 9 that security forces had arrived at its Moscow editorial office. Police and media reports suggest the searches were part of a criminal case regarding the illegal use of personal data. Columnist Oleg Roldugin has been detained for 48 hours.

On April 9, the Supreme Court of Russia, in a closed-door session, designated the "International Memorial Movement" as an extremist organization. Following the court's decision, the Memorial Human Rights Center announced it would cease operations in Russia.

"Two institutions that embodied the two most important achievements of that era—the freedom to speak and the freedom to remember—and which, by the way, both received Nobel Prizes for it, have been subjected to another round of monstrous repression. I would suggest it’s a coincidence, but it looks hideously symbolic. However, if we get into symbolism, look at it this way: one of the investigators who came to search Novaya Gazeta was carried out of the office on a stretcher; that’s how the rest of those involved will eventually be carried out feet first — but Novaya and Memorial will remain. Although, perhaps we’ll be carried out first," wrote Russian journalist Alexander Gorbachev on Facebook.

Russian photographer Alexandra Astakhova wrote on Facebook on the day of the searches at Novaya Gazeta that she couldn't find articulate words for what was happening:

"Memorial has been recognized as extremist. Novaya Gazeta is being searched. Journalist Roldugin, who received the Anna Politkovskaya 'Kamerton' award at the same time I did, was brutally detained by security forces and is being interrogated. I can write nothing but words of support for my colleagues. Strength and patience to you and to all of us. This is not forever."