Harvard Library's Slavic Blog

Screenshot of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBfHZaB4m0E by
59RU Пермь

Video appeals to the President of Russia web archive / collected by: Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation.
HOLLLIS # 99155709117603941
The source collection (Zotero library)

Video appeals to the President of Russia Web Archive is now available for research. This is a collection of online videos created as direct appeals to Vladimir Putin by Russian citizens as attempts to get the President directly involved in resolving various social, economic and environmental problems.

The phenomenon was initially triggered by the televised yearly Direct Lines with Vladimir Putin (broadcast since 2001), during which Putin in a television studio answers questions from audiences all across Russia.  Later people in Russia started recording their video appeals to the president for a variety of other reasons (e. g. in the wake of Putin’s visit to the region, spontaneously while facing a crisis, to wish him happy birthday or New Year or simply to express an opinion on his performance as a leader).

The videos are recorded by both groups and individuals. The groups include various political organizations, professional enterprises, non-profit groups and ethnic groups and communities. The individuals represent people from all social and professional groups of contemporary Russia.

The subjects of the videos in the collection vary greatly. Many are related to economic conditions, infrastructure, housing and health. Others are concerned with issues in culture and education, such as endangered cultural institutions or cultural policy. Issues in politics, ideology and moral dominate in videos recorded to express criticism or approval of Putin or to wish him well.

Videos employ a multitude of creative strategies, such as the use of poetry, song, bird’s eye views, group shouts, sign language, children, puppets, animals, etc.

Collected together these videos serve as a virtual encyclopedia of everyday life in contemporary Russian society. The collection presents a rich source for research in political, economical, social and environmental conditions, language, folklore and other aspects of contemporary Russia.

The web archive was developed by librarians and student assistants at Harvard Library and published in collaboration with the Princeton University library under the auspices of the Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation.

As of August 20 2021, the web archive contains 314 videos. The source collection (1008 videos and growing) can be accessed in an open Zotero library. The sites inside the Zotero library are assigned subject or format tags and organized by category.