Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting nyet stars on the country's version of yelp because while many social media platforms are restricting Russian state media outlets from sharing misinformation and propaganda about the country's invasion of Ukraine, some online commenters have found a bit of a loophole to speak out.
People have begun to leave reviews of restaurants that have nothing to do with the food, and instead call out Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine.
"The place was nice! However, Putin spoiled our mood by invading Ukraine. Rise up against your dictator, stop killing innocent people! Your government is lying to you," a commenter said in a review of a popular Moscow seafood restaurant on Afisha.ru.
Afisha.ru is a Russian lifestyle and entertainment website where people can leave reviews. People have been using the site and others like Google Maps to talk about what the Russian government is doing and telling people not to believe them.
Ten local media outlets have been accused by the Russian communications regulator of discussing the invasion of Ukraine and failing to refer to it by the state's preferred phrase of a "special operation" to demilitarize Ukraine, according to Reuters. The Russian government does not use the term "invasion" to describe what is going on right now in Ukraine.
Russia even removed Ekho Moskvy, one of the oldest radio stations, from the airways on Tuesday for its coverage of the invasion of Ukraine. Russia also threatened to block Dozhd, a top independent TV channel.
The Russian Prosecutor General's office said these media outlets are spreading "false information regarding the actions of Russian military personnel as part of a special operation" in Ukraine, per the Associated Press.
Although, the commenters continued to fight back, as one wrote on Afisha.ru: "The deployment of troops in Ukraine is a war, not a special operation. Russian military kill children and civilians!!!!"
The reviews left all over the internet forced Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin to address them, claiming they were mostly bots. He believes that the online commenters were planning a "psychological information attack."
"Please do not fall for the calls of provocateurs. They are aimed at undermining the governance of the city and creating an atmosphere of chaos," Sobyanin said. "They are trying to divide us."
The international hacker group Anonymous has also joined the effort to speak out against Russian state media and spread awareness for what is actually going on in Ukraine.
"Go to Google Maps. Go to Russia. Find a restaurant or business and write a review. When you write the review explain what is happening in Ukraine," Anonymous tweeted to its 7.7 million followers on Feb. 28.
It appears that leaving online reviews of restaurants and businesses is the best form of action against the Russian state media, as users can keep their identities private.
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