In a new sign of their search for a relative independence in Russia’s digital space, the social networks VK (Vkontakte) and OK (Odnoklassniki) have rejected new advertisements from United Russia where the ruling party claims to be “the president’s party.”
As reported by online publication Znak.com from a source in one of United Russia’s regional offices, Mail.ru Group, which owns both networks, is demanding formal evidence that the party is supported by President Putin. Even though no law requires such evidence, Mail.Ru Group “insists on their right to reject any promotional materials. For them, the silent agreements reached inside the presidential administration aren’t an executive order,” the source said.
It is no mystery that United Russia is Vladimir Putin’s primary vehicle for legislative politics. However, notes Meduza, the president has always maintained some distance from the party, positioning himself as a national leader “above partisanship,” thus leaving United Russia without his formal endorsement.
The Mail.Ru Group dominates the Russian social media scene with its properties VK and OK. Listed on the LSE, the group has among its main shareholders Alisher Usmanov, a Russian billionaire who is often regarded as Kremlin-friendly.
Nevertheless, the group and its social network subsidiaries recently began displaying publicly their “strong disapproval” of the authorities repressive stance on the Internet. This summer, they sharply criticized the propensity of law enforcement agencies to crackdown on social media users for posting supposedly unlawful “likes” or posts, calling for changes in the legislation and legal practice.
