These are the users who use Tinder to spread images of what is happening in Ukraine in Russia The digital dating platform is still operating normally in Russia and some users have found a way to use it to spread images that the Russian government does not want citizens to see.
By Eduardo Scheffler Zawadzki Edited by Eduardo Scheffler Zawadzki
This article was translated from our Spanish edition.
A wall has been erected to prevent information from the Western world from reaching the eyes of Russian citizens since the armed conflict in Ukraine began. First it was the departure of several media outlets and then the veto of social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok . Today, being in Russia, it is difficult to find out a version of events other than the one offered by the official narrative. But all is not lost: some Tinder users have found a way to spread images of the devastation in Ukraine using the application, which, so far, continues to operate normally throughout the Russian territory.
The first of them is called Kinga Szostko , she lives in the city of Gdynia, in Poland, and created a fake profile on Tinder with her name written in Cyrillic alphabet. Describing herself as a young lawyer currently living in Moscow, she uploaded a profile photo and a dozen images showing the devastation that the war has left in various Ukrainian cities including kyiv, Irpin and Mariupol. The Slovakian independent advertising agency, JANDL , developed the same strategy, but went even further by publishing a web page called Special Love Operation in which it invites Tinder users to follow the steps to create profiles using Russian cities to display images of what is happening in Ukraine and spread the reality.
On the main page of the site it is explained:
"The Russians do not know the truth about the war in Ukraine. Social networks are cancelled. International media are prohibited. Official Russian channels lie while innocent people are being killed. Putin ignores the whole world, but maybe he doesn't ignore his own people. We found a way to bypass censorship on Tinder. Yes, on Tinder. Let's show that love and truth are stronger than war."
Then, one by one, the steps to follow to spread images of the conflict using Tinder are explained.
Just great.
