Russian Actor Declares "Putin Is Not My President" in Video — Then Praises the Authorities a Day Later

A Russian theater and film actor who goes by the name Yarmushchik posted a video message on social media in which he stated that he does not consider Vladimir Putin his president and does not recognize Crimea as part of Russia. The clip quickly went viral, but by Tuesday the actor had released a new video with the opposite message, praising the country and its leadership, according to Meduza.

In the first video, Yarmushchik addressed the Russian leader directly: "Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, hello. My name is Lyosha, I'm a theater and film actor." He said he doesn't want Putin to be his president and called for the government to be dissolved. The actor also admitted he doesn't want to watch Russian television or use VKontakte, preferring Instagram instead. He also touched on the subject of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014 following rigged referendums, saying: "I don't think Crimea is ours" — adding that his Generation Z peers share this view.

Soon after posting, however, the actor recorded a second video in which he did a complete about-face. "I was struck by how kindly people were writing to me. I finally saw people with the opposite opinion, but kind ones. I'm thrilled, I feel like I did something right," he said, adding that he now "respects" both the government and Putin personally.

That same evening, a third video appeared in which the actor addressed reactions to his first clip: people had called him "stupid and naive," to which he responded that the video had been filmed on the spur of the moment, without a prepared script. Later, on the Telegram channel "Ostorozhno, Novosti" ("Careful, News"), Yarmushchik admitted that the first video had been an attempt to break out of his own information bubble — "a generational bubble." Asked whether he feared the consequences, he said yes.

One reason he decided to speak out, the actor said, was rumors of a possible new wave of mobilization that Putin might launch after the State Duma elections scheduled for the second half of September. He fears that Russia will close its borders to men of conscription age, as Ukraine previously did, leaving him unable to leave the country. "For me, as a young man, that's one of the strongest reasons for concern," he said.

This is not the first time a Russian celebrity has publicly weighed in on sensitive political topics. Earlier, blogger Victoria Bonya, who lives in Monaco, claimed that everyone in Russia is afraid of Putin, including regional governors, which is why no one dares tell him the truth.

Source: novinky.cz