SUPPORT US
Aid to the
APU

Russian propaganda through travelogues

A leading foreign media outlet has been reporting on how Western bloggers with million-dollar channels have moved to or travelled to Russia since the full-scale invasion, ignoring the war in Ukraine and focusing on the allegedly negligible impact of sanctions. Today, we are exploring this topic on the example of blogger Elina Bakunova, known as "Eli from Russia". In her videos, the blogger shows Russia in a positive light, ignoring the real problems, and her silence on the war in Ukraine unleashed by Moscow is essentially support for the Putin regime.
TRUTH
TRUTH

A recent Bloomberg article has exposed how russia is leveraging Western bloggers to disseminate propaganda. These bloggers, who have more than two million followers, either relocated to russia or traveled there after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They typically avoid discussing the war in Ukraine, instead highlighting the minimal impact of sanctions on russia and presenting an idyllic image of the country. 

While there is no direct evidence that these YouTubers are part of a coordinated pro-Kremlin campaign, the russian propaganda machine often utilizes social media to spread disinformation, making bloggers crucial components of this strategy.

An example of this tactic is russian blogger Elina Bakunova, known as “Eli from russia,” who promotes Kremlin narratives through her travel content across russia. We explored her tactics. 

JUST AN ORDINARY GIRL

A russian blogger has amassed over 700,000 subscribers on YouTube, with some videos garnering millions of views: Lake Baikal, Mount Elbrus, and indigenous people living in the permafrost regions. At first glance, the content looks like a story about fascinating places and little-known cultures.

The blogger presents herself as “an ordinary girl from Perm.” However, her educational background and access to professional equipment suggest otherwise. She began her career by talking about her studies in English and PR in Milan, Italy - an opportunity far beyond the reach of most russians. Her videos feature professional-quality editing, drone footage, and time-lapse sequences, despite claims of solo production.

Links to russian propaganda networks have been observed. In one instance, she interviewed an American about the advantages of living in russia compared to the West. She did not say anything about the interviewee. It was later revealed that the interviewee, Tim Kirby, worked for… russia Today, a known propaganda outlet.

Additionally, in June 2022, the blogger joined the russian Geographical Society (RGS), a non-governmental organization. For ten years, the RGS’s honorary president has been Sergei Shoigu, russia’s Defense Minister during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has headed its supervisory board since 2009, which also includes prominent oligarchs and high-ranking officials. State-owned companies like Gazprom are among its partners. 

The RGS, founded in 1845, has reportedly intensified its propaganda activities since the war with Sakartvelo (ancient name for Georgia-ed.). According to Ukrainer, the founder of the “Stop Mapaganda” project, the society has become an instrument of hybrid warfare, particularly in international and educational spheres. One tactic involves creating maps that label temporarily occupied territories of other countries as russian or disputed. Notably, during a 2016 RGS awards ceremony, Putin “joked” with the audience, suggesting that russia’s borders “do not end anywhere.”

“DIVERSITY OF CULTURES”

During both the russian Empire and the Soviet Union, and in today’s russia, the russian Federation has been a “prison of peoples,” an empire that represses and suppresses the peoples it has subjugated. This included Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvash, Karelians, Sami, Komi, Mari, and Mordovians. In the Caucasus, there are Kabardians, Adygs, Circassians, Chechens, Ingush, Avars, Lezgins, and Ossetians. Siberia was home to the Altai, Khakass, Yakut, Khanty, Mansi, Nenets, and Evenki peoples. The list goes on, as modern russia encompasses more than 150 nations. Among these, 21 were permitted to form republics, while the rest were denied political recognition. 

“Eli from russia”, a russian blogger, showcases these nationalities in her videos, presenting them as part of the “great russia.” She highlights their uniqueness through landscapes and cuisine but only briefly touches on their culture, customs, and religion. Language is a particularly sensitive issue, with Eli frequently emphasizing that russian is the language of daily life. For instance, she states that the Ingush language is used in Ingushetia by almost 100% of the population – something really extraordinary, she says. Folk rituals are depicted either as exotic or as “sharovarshchyna” (negative term used to depict stereotypes of the Ukrainian culture-ed.), such as the “Udmurt grannies” sent to Eurovision.

This YouTuber adheres to an imperial narrative that glosses over the historical and contemporary issues facing these peoples, as well as the true history of their “integration” into russia. Instead, she aims to present a more appealing image of russia. For example, a video about the “real Grozny” begins in Ichkeria’s main square, named after Putin, and highlights photos of Akhmat Kadyrov, who is credited with “bringing peace,” on every corner of the street. 

Eli condenses the two russian-Chechen wars into a minute, attributing their main causes to nationalism and the fight against terrorism. She expresses sympathy for the victims on both sides but omits crucial details. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria declared independence, but Moscow refused to recognize it, first attempting negotiations and then imposing a blockade. In 1994, russia launched a military invasion, with extensive bombing and shelling that killed thousands of civilians. A peace treaty was signed in 1996, but in 1999, russia invaded again, occupying Chechnya until 2000 and installing Akhmat Kadyrov’s pro-russian administration.

The blogger repeatedly dismisses reports of lawlessness and kidnappings in Chechnya as propaganda (this word runs as a refrain throughout the story). Despite acknowledging that the city was once the most destroyed in the world, she only emphasizes its reconstruction. It reminds us of the russian narratives about the “rebuilding” of Mariupol. She confirms and highlights the modern business center “Grozny City,” built by Kadyrov, but omits the fact that one-third of Chechnya's residents live below the poverty line.

After visiting the capital, the blogger travels to an aul [fortified village or town-ed.] on a specific date - September 6. She claims this date is a national holiday celebrated since 2002, when residents “spoke out against despotism and terrorism” and voted in a referendum to “join russia.” She shows a library adorned with russian and Chechen flags and the message “Thank you Ramzan.” Notably, the library and streets are empty, much to her disappointment, as she expected to see a festive concert.

In reality, September 6 marks the 1991 declaration of independence by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The “referendum” she mentions occurred on September 23, 2003. Ukrainians, familiar with russia’s conduct of referendums in occupied territories, would find the expectation of a concert on this date quite cynical, akin to expecting a concert for “DPR Day” on August 24 [Ukrainian Independence Day-ed.] in occupied Mariupol.

The blogger reiterates her sense of safety in Chechnya, calling American and Canadian concerns about kidnappings, murders, and terrorism pure propaganda. However, human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International report abductions of Kadyrov regime opponents, leading to Kadyrov’s inclusion in sanctions lists for human rights violations. Notably, unlike in her other videos, no local residents are interviewed on camera. 

Overall, the blogger portrays the lives of Chechnya’s people in a positive light, suggesting they are content and grateful to be part of russia. Even in the poorest regions, she attributes poverty to a desire to maintain old customs, ignoring russia’s extraction of resources and lack of investment in development.

NOSTALGIA FOR THE SOVIET TIMES 

The blogger visited several countries that russian propaganda labels as “post-Soviet,” including Sakartvelo [ancient name for Georgia-ed.] and Kazakhstan. While exploring Sakartvelo, she overlooks the pervasive anti-russian sentiments and the widespread presence of Ukrainian symbols. She captures the Ukrainian flag only once, although I, the author of this post, visited Sakartvelo a year ago and noted that Ukrainian symbols were everywhere.

The blogger focuses on Soviet brutalist architecture and ignores Georgian architecture. Although she uses English in her vlog, she persistently seeks out russian speakers in Georgia. Young people often claim they do not know the russian language, so she interviews a few elderly individuals who nostalgically recall life in the Soviet times. The video glosses over the Soviet Union’s impact on its republics, giving the misleading impression that life was “much better” then. It concludes with a message expressing hope for friendship between the two nations. No comment!

SILENCE ABOUT THE WAR 

In the video comments, viewers criticize her silence on russia’s war against Ukraine. But, her supporters argue that the blog focuses on nature and cultures, not politics, and that criticizing Putin could lead to her imprisonment or a ban on filming. 

Eli’s silence is perceived as tacit support for the Putin regime. Despite the invasion, she remains in russia, traveling freely within the country, including to closed regions like Chechnya, and abroad.

On February 25, 2022, amid the ongoing Great War, she posted a video of a trip beyond the Arctic Circle, ignoring russian aggression. As criticism mounted, she released another video, stating that russian content had become “very sensitive,” but she would continue to publish travelogues because it was her “job, passion, work,” and advised viewers to stop watching if they didn’t like it.

Silence is a common propaganda technique to divert attention from significant issues, such as this war… which russia started. By remaining silent about russia’s war crimes, the blogger, with her wide international audience, actually helps conceal and downplay the scale of the war.

“SANCTIONS ARE BAD” 

Eli does occasionally comment on the war, questioning the fairness of international sanctions against russia and claiming they harm ordinary people, not Putin and his entourage. Three weeks after February 24, she posted a video about how russians’ lives “will never be the same again,” without addressing the root causes of these changes. She highlights closed shops, high food prices, and job losses due to brand exits, manipulating the impact of sanctions on her personally. She complains about not being able to buy a new camera lens, stating that even if the lens were on sale, she wouldn’t be able to afford it, “because the price is now three times higher.” She also laments that she can no longer support her retired parents due to YouTube’s demonetization in russia. Despite claiming she lost her drone, her subsequent videos include drone footage. In another video, she interviews residents of three russian cities about their expenses and salaries, concluding that ordinary people are struggling.

Over time, her rhetoric has shifted. In a new video, she shows that store shelves are once again stocked, and brands that supposedly left the country have merely changed their name. She continues to complain about difficulties abroad due to disabled credit cards.

The main message of her videos is that sanctions harm ordinary citizens, not political elites. The blogger omits the fact that sanctions were imposed due to russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine and to stop russian aggression. Instead, she aims to elicit sympathy from foreign audiences. 

In truth, russian authorities are attempting to get sanctions lifted by promoting narratives that suggest the sanctions are ineffective or harm the wrong people.

(UN)CONCEALED PROPAGANDA 

 On her travel channel, Elina made several videos that even her fans found strange and questioned their appropriateness on a platform about culture and travel. In one video, she spent a day with russian “special forces” when russia was amassing troops near the Ukrainian border. She deleted the video after February 24. 

During the Great War in 2023, she released another video titled “Victory Day in a small town in russia.” In it, she discusses the “Great Patriotic War” of 1941-1945, omitting that for the Soviets, World War II began in 1939. She mentions 27 million russians who died, equating Ukrainians, Belarusians, and other nationalities with them. She talks about her grandfather, who was drafted into the army in 1940 when the Soviet Union was an ally of Germany and received a medal “for service on the border with Finland.” She adds that the war did not end for her grandfather after 1945, as he “served for another six years in western Ukraine,” where he “fought against Ukrainian nationalists led by Bandera.” She calls her grandfather a hero. 

Praising her grandfather, who “fought” against Ukrainians in WWII, and this during russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, shows the blogger’s true attitude towards the war. Realizing the story did not fit her “apolitical” image, she deleted the video from her channel.

What is the danger of such a travelogue? 

“Eli from russia” spreads pro-Kremlin narratives among Western audiences who know little about the history of russia and life in the country. They see a beautiful picture, creating an image of the “other russia” in their minds. As a result, their critical perception of russian aggressive actions towards other countries, both now and in the past, diminishes. When criticized for refusing to show the “dark side” of life in russia, the travel blogger replies that she looks at life positively. She rejects accusations of propaganda, calling them conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, the YouTuber with thousands of subscribers remains silent about the war in Ukraine and avoids critical topics. Despite the absence of direct evidence of coordination with the Kremlin, bloggers like Eli actually contribute to the goals of russia’s propaganda machine small logo

Prepared by Aliona Malichenko.

НАД ПРОЄКТОМ ПРАЦЮВАЛИ
Альона Маліченко
Альона Маліченко
фактчекерка По той бік новин
Halyna Dolynna
Halyna Dolynna
editor of the English texts
АКТУАЛЬНІ НОВИНИ
01 / 01