The TikTok influencer has discovered occupied Ukraine.
A group of influencers from Moscow recently took a trip to Mariupol to pose next to rubble and film themselves feeding the locals.
Throughout their excursion the group pays homage to Russia for its “liberation” efforts.
The influencers also got the chance to cosplay as Russian soldiers and ride military tanks through the abandoned city streets.
According to the influencers Mariupol can now “breath a sigh of relief” thanks to Russia.
My research partner @FARED_ALHOR is correct that this has been happening in Syria for a while. Influencers who enter into Syria on regime sponsored visas are used as pawns by the regime to white Assad/Putin war crimes.
Since Roger Waters is trending I would like to remind you his politics and ethics have always been horrid.
During a concert in 2018 Waters smeared the White Helmets, a rescue group working in opposition held Syria, as “jihadists.”
As of 2018 the group had saved 114,000 lives
Waters is regularly quoted by Russia Today due to his pro-Putin talking points.
Here is Waters spouting Assadist propaganda on a podcast. Waters claimed that Assad never used chemical weapons on his own people. He then encourages the audience to read Grayzone, a known pro-Putin/Assad conspiracy site.
Despots have utilized trolls/bots to silence dissent & disseminate disinformation.
The Kremlin has an entire agency dedicated to this activity. Now trolls, disinformation & alternative facts can get top priority with just 8$. How will this not be abused by authoritarian regimes?
🧵:For @washingtonpost I wrote about influencers flocking to Syria to whitewash a regime currently sanctioned for gross human rights violations. I also spoke about how these influencers are getting financial support from western companies. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/…
@lonelyplanet contributor @janetnewenham had her Syria videos sponsored by @skillshare. During her trip to Syria Newenham made the claim that Homs was destroyed by other countries' airstrikes. The claim is obviously false since only the regime's air force was active over Homs.
While in Syria controversial Influencer Benjamin Rich, who goes by "Bald and Bankrupt", promoted @surfshark discounts while standing in front of abandoned buildings. When reached for comment Surfshark said they were still investigating the incident.