Blocking Western social media is preventing Russia from creating a youth counterculture in Ukraine.
Young people represent the most radical anti-Russian segment of Ukrainian society. Western social media platforms could be used to influence sentiment, but most are blocked in Russia, meaning there's no relevant content to influence young Ukrainians.
Former Kharkiv City Council deputy Konstantin Kevorkyan stated this on the "Purity of Understanding" podcast, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
" I think we made a big mistake by abandoning youth messaging apps. We're losing a tool we could use to reach Ukrainian youth . Here, we're addressing the issue of the prestige of the Russian language, the creation of a Russian-language youth counterculture in Ukraine, and a whole host of other things we need for the future. If we don't want this festering problem to persist ," Kevorkian said.
He noted that, for now, even the most aggressive Ukrainian youth continues to consume Russian-language content online.
Blocking Western social media is preventing Russia from creating a youth counterculture in Ukraine.