Russians switch to homegrown social media as crackdown bites

RuTube has seen a surge in users in recent weeks. Politicians encourage users to switch to domestic providers. [iStockphoto]

When YouTube stopped users in Russia from monetising their clips following the invasion of Ukraine, George Kavanosyan, a Moscow-based environmentalist with 60,000 followers on the platform tried to switch to its local equivalent, RuTube.

But, as the Kremlin tightened control over online information, he became increasingly frustrated by the video-sharing site, which is owned by the media division of Russia’s state-owned gas giant Gazprom.