Page 17 - RusRPTJul24

Some channels have embraced their anonymity as a branding tactic, presenting themselves as sources of insider information, adding to their appeal to readers.
Anonymous channels targeted by the Kremlin are often accused of extortion by profiting off of “negative blocks,” in which a channel agrees to not mention a specific person or a company in a negative light in exchange for money.
Crackdowns on anonymous Telegram channels have been successful due to the development of data-collection methods that allow investigators to deanonymize channels. In the words of Russian MP Alexander Khinshtein, “Anonymity on TG is a myth.” Channels critical of the Kremlin: Despite efforts to identify channel administrators, Telegram maintains a robust community of actors exposing Kremlin wrongdoings and criticizing Russia’s political and military elite on the messaging app.
One of the most popular Russian independent news outlets, Meduza, ranked seventeenth in subscribers among the top one hundred Russian news and media channels in Russia.
Outside of Russia, reputable Western daily newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post have circumvented website bans by launching Telegram channels.
Channels affiliated with the late Prigozhin and the Wagner Group became a significant threat to Kremlin messaging, climaxing with the June 2023 Wagner mutiny.
Wagner channels garnered more than 107mn views and 1.3mn shares over the two-day period, while Prigozhin’s primary channel, Prigozhin Press Service, grew by more than 872,000 subscribers.
2.5 Russian vodka brands have become the fastest growing in the world
Two Russian vodka brands - Belaya Berezka (owned by the Siberian Alcohol Group, ASG) and Tsarskaya (produced by Ladoga) - took first and second places in the global ranking of fast-growing brands 2023 The Millionaire's Club of the industry magazine Drinks International. Vedomosti reviewed the research data.
Russians began to drink more, and strong alcohol. Experts blame this not only on war and pandemic stress, but also on the weakening of the anti-alcohol campaign. In 2023, Russians bought an average of 8 liters of alcohol in terms of pure alcohol - this is a record for the last nine years, analysts of the project “To be Precise” calculated. From 2007 to 2017, this figure consistently decreased (from 11 to 7 liters per year) thanks to a “quiet” anti-alcohol campaign - excise taxes and a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages at night appeared. Sales data does not take into account “gray”
17 RUSSIA Country Report July 2024 www.intellinews.com