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Yellow sneakersVideo bloggers, sometimes referred to as YouTubers, are the new idols of the
younger generation. Millions of users subscribe to their channels and their video
clips easily surpass the popularity of many top Russian artists. For many teenagers
these channels have replaced television entirely. Of course, the Russian authorities
could not but pay attention to this trend.
In March, Vladimir Medinsky, the Russian minister of culture, met with popular
Runet video bloggers (Runet is a term used to describe Russian-language inter-
net – editor’s note). The topic of the meeting was the popularisation of science and
how to attract younger people to cultural projects. Authorities declared that no
political topics would be discussed, only co-operation that would benefit society.
After the ministry meetings, bloggers were invited to the Duma. On May 22nd,
a 19-year-old blogger named Sasha Spielberg, whose channel has more than fiveOpinion & Analysis The Kremlin sets its eyes on YouTube, Svitlana Ovcharova