Putin's iron grip on what gets conveyed to Russians about the war is being challenged in multiple ways, from whack-a-mole efforts on social media to telemarketing campaigns to crowdfunded digital ads.
In a modern world inundated with spam, scams and other unwanted marketing messages, do any of these efforts even work? The impact of those volunteer efforts is less clear. “One thing is to call them and the other thing is how to talk with them,” says Senūta. As with any telemarketing call, the response from those on the receiving end has been mixed. While some have been receptive, others are angry at the interruption or suspicious that it’s a trick.
Existing censor-free platforms like Telegram should be utilized rather than inventing anything entirely new, notes Kozlovsky. However, that it doesn’t mean it hurts to also try new things.