Veronika Belotserkovskaya, an influencer best known in Russia for glamorous Instagram posts on her life and cooking classes, has become one of the first targets of the country’s draconian new legislation that makes criticism of the war in Ukraine punishable by as many as 15 years in jail.
An unlikely candidate for the wrath of President Vladimir Putin’s government, the influencer known on Instagram as Belonika, had until recently mostly posted pictures of her glitzy lifestyle, featuring elegant locations and clothes, Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton accessories, flower bouquets, animals and cooking.
