A famous 18-year-old influencer has been threatened with a hefty jail term, under Vladimir Putin 's terror - simply for using Instagram.
Popular beauty and fashion trendsetter Veronika Loginova was intimidated into a six year jail term for using the platform.
Despite having a large following of 584,000 on the social media site, the 18-year-old has been accused of 'extremist activity', even though she posts absolutely no political or war related content.
While Instagram is banned - as it is considered an extremist site in Russia - it is however still widely used by the Kremlin elite, and is only available in the country using a VPN.
And most recently, two state prosecutors called at Loginova’s home and claimed that she “stands out too much” in Russia, as she has a an audience of over 1.1 million on Instagram and YouTube.
Responding to this, the angry blogger said: “Really? Do I? An 18-year-old fashion blogger?
“An entrepreneur, creator of my own clothing brand that pays taxes to her own country?
“A person who writes posts about mental health support, and has never once touched on a political agenda on her blog?
“Yeah. There you go. You live, you make pretty pictures, you build a business, you help people, you don't touch anyone. But you live in Russia, and among a million bloggers, they come to you.
“What do I do now? Quit Instagram? Flee Russia? Sue?”
She went on to speak about how this can happen to anyone, as the tearful young entrepreneur warned: "This can now happen to anyone in Russia.
“Any day prosecutors can come to your house - please share…
“What’s going on? I never touched politics and now I face six years in jail…for running Instagram.”
Moscow-based Veronika - who started her Instagram, aged 15 - has vowed not to be gagged by the threat. She posted on Instagram that with the support of her followers on the site and in person, she will, “get to the bottom of it, and to cover it here."
She added: “This is totally f*****up.
“And I want as many people as possible to know about this story.
“I would be grateful to anyone who can support me by reposting and highlighting the situation. It's really important.”
The fashionista was accused by the Kuntsevskaya Interdistrict Prosecutor's Office of “extremism” by "performing actions to attract users to social networks Facebook and Instagram”.
In a video she said: “Sadly today I am not posting my usual light-hearted, stylish content. I have a real problem that keeps pressing on me, and influences my life in the most negative way.
“I can’t handle it myself.
“And this can happen to absolutely any of you [in Russia]."
Opening up about what happened to her, the famous blogger said: “Anyone can have a visit from police or prosecutors, and be told that there is a threat of a six-year jail term for using Instagram.
“This is what just happened to me.
“No matter how much I worked on this with the prosecutors, with my lawyers - I didn’t expect to get lawyers at the age of 18."
Following this, she is now urging her followers to share to the world what is happening to her, adding: “The issue is not getting resolved.
“So I am asking everyone who has a voice, everyone who has even one follower to share it, and to say this is NOT normal.”
Until the current tension with the West - highlighted by the war in Ukraine - Instagram was not considered extremist in Russia. However, it remains widely used - including within Putin’s circle.
Ironically, there is no record of Kremlin Instagram users facing prosecution under Vladimir Putin's draconian laws.
Olympic skater Tatiana Navka, 47, wife of Putin’s high-profile spokesman Dmitry Peskov - an architect of the draconian social media crackdown and the warmonger’s most prominent henchman - is an enthusiastic user of Instagram. Yet, she faces no threat of jail.
Most recently, she posted photos of her two summer trips to the NATO countries of Greece and Turkey, for which she was criticised in Russia.
In fact, in one video she was seen smashing plates at a Greek restaurant. However, her husband defended this and explained that his wife is deeply stressed by Putin’s war, for which he is the mouthpiece.
Peskov, 54, one of the most senior officials in the Kremlin, said: ”My wife is practically Ukrainian.
“And her childhood friends are there, in Ukraine.
“And now her relationship with them has deteriorated.
“She is madly worried about this. Crazy. This is a real tragedy.”
Despite her distress, Peskov said: “But this is the price we have to pay”.
Meanwhile not long ago the Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu’s daughter Ksenia, 31, shared a topless picture of her at the beach. They were shared on the platform by her lover - sports blogger Alexey Stolyarov, 32 - and a regular user of Instagram.
Yet, the defence minister’s daughter maintains her Instagram but keeps it in private mode.
