‘Our Russian Town!’ Content creators paint a rosy picture of life in occupied Mariupol, with support from the Kremlin

Government

CNN  —  Three years after it seized control of Mariupol following a brutal 86-day siege, Russia is using a more subtle power to keep its grip on the Ukrainian port city: social media influencers. A CNN investigation found that residents of the occupied city, including schoolchildren, are being trained in new media programs and “blogger schools” with ties to the Russian state. Though their follower counts and overall reach pale in comparison to celebrity influencers, experts say that the Kremlin