(NewsNation Now) — The rich kids of Russia are fighting back, online that is.
It’s a “rebellion” happening on Instagram, where young Russian elites are using their influential platforms to voice hope that the war will end.
The granddaughter of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin, Maria Yumasheva posted a photo of the Ukrainian flag with the caption “нет войне 💔”, which means “no war” in English.
Maria is also the daughter of Valentin Yumashev, who currently serves as an advisor to the President of the Russian Federation. He reportedly played a key role in Putin becoming president of Russia.
Maria’s fiancé Fedor Smolov, a Russian professional footballer, also posted a black square on his Instagram with the caption “Нет войне!!!💔🇺🇦”
Sofia Abramovich joined in on the fight as well. Sofia is the daughter of Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, the nation’s wealthiest person, according to Bloomberg.
According to the New York Post, Abramovich called out Putin in an Instagram story shared with her 62,000 Instagram followers.
She reportedly shared a story with a caption that read, “The biggest and most successful lie out of the Kremlin propaganda is that most Russians are with Putin.”
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s daughter Elizaveta Peskova, who has over 237,000 followers, also posted “HET BOЙHE,” which means “no to war,” The New York Post reported.
Based on screenshots share on Twitter, and multiple reports, she reportedly deleted the post and switched her account to private an hour after posting. Though there have not been direct threats against oligarchs — or their family members — that step out of line, but Putin is notoriously ruthless against dissent.
“What matters to these kids, they’re used to having money. What they want is Instagram likes. They want to be accepted by the Western world, I think they’d happily give up their parents in order to come to our side,” National Writer of the New York Post Dana Kennedy said in an interview on Banfield.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JANUARY 28, 2022: Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s daughter Yelizaveta Peskova (L) and Russian singer Grigory Leps’ daughter Yeva attend the opening of the Peach restaurant. Vyacheslav Prokofyev/TASS (Photo by Vyacheslav Prokofyev\TASS via Getty Images)
On Thursday, the White House released a list of “Putin’s cronies,” and their families — ultrawealthy oligarchs — who will be targeted by the U.S. and other countries for continuing to support President Vladimir Putin “despite his brutal invasion of Ukraine.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the action would significantly impact those around Putin.
“What we’re talking about here is seizing their assets, seizing their yachts, and making it harder for them to send their children to colleges and universities in the West,” Psaki said.
The list includes Nikolai Tokarev, who heads Russian pipeline company Transneft; Boris Rotenberg, co-owner of gas pipeline construction company SGM Group; Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostec Corporation and a close ally of Putin; former Russian deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov; and “Putin’s chef” Yevgeniy Prigozhin.
GALLERY: THE RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS TARGETED BY THE U.S.
