RUTUBE presents Phoenix Award to bloggers blocked on foreign websites

RUTUBE video hosting service held the first national Phoenix Award ceremony organized for bloggers blocked on YouTube. The ceremony took place on April 7 at the RUSSIA EXPO exhibition.

The event was opened by Aleksandr Zharov, CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding, who congratulated everyone on the 30th anniversary of the Russian Internet (Runet) and noted that foreign video hosting services’ attempts to block Russian content were unsuccessful.

More than 130 channels of individuals and legal entities were removed from international platforms. However, all of them were revived on RUTUBE and will be presented with the Phoenix Award.

Aleksandr Zharov CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding

Aleksandr Zharov emphasized that Runet continued to strengthen its position, and quoted Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, that since 2019, the Runet economy had grown 3.5 times and reached 16.4 trillion rubles.

RUTUBE national video hosting keeps up with its current daily audience approaching 7 million users and a monthly audience of over 48 million. Favorable conditions and processes are being created to produce and distribute content.

Aleksandr Zharov CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding

It depends on the RUTUBE users’ feedback whether the award will become annual: “We will try to make the Phoenix National Award truly popular.”

Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, took part in the ceremony.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation was the first government agency that entered all Russian Internet platforms with two specific tasks. First, to provide content about Russian foreign policy and its position in international relations to national and foreign audiences on foreign websites. And second, to strengthen Russian digital information sovereignty. Several years ago there was a reboot bringing RUTUBE to a new level, and today’s award is a summing up many years of work and also drawing up future plans, I believe.

Maria Zakharova Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

The award winners included Dmitry Puchkov, leading RUTUBE blogger, writer, publicist, translator, member of the Public Council under the Russian Ministry of Culture, Artemy Lebedev, owner of the Artemy Lebedev Studio, Sanya-in-Florida blogger, Channel One, NTV, REN TV and SPAS TV channels, and others.

Dmitry Puchkov, leading RUTUBE blogger, spoke about his contribution to national video hosting service development.

It’s great that there are web resources in our home country that a young talented blogger can rely on. While they were busy with political gambling, I was proactive and switched to RUTUBE. Fortunately, it’s available. If we can’t do something abroad, we’ll do it here. In the end, we should have everything of our own. And from a creative point of view, we’re good at it. Let’s do even more.

Dmitry Puchkov Leading RUTUBE blogger

Yuri Podolyaka, the blogger with the largest RUTUBE audience, was a Phoenix Award winner.

Today, the information space is an element of national security. Unfriendly countries wanted to silence us, but they have failed, because we have web platforms like RUTUBE. We tell the truth, and that is what they fear most. I’m very glad that now we’re building a new country, and a new element of independence. The RUTUBE team is developing with strength now. I’m sure that they will keep up, because without it, we have no future.

Yuri Podolyaka Blogger with the largest RUTUBE audience

The ceremony was hosted by famous bloggers, actors and TV presenters: Anna Khilkevich, Vadim Takmenev, Dmitry Dibrov and Maryana Naumova. An entertainment program was presented involving popular artists: ANNA Asti, Sergei Bobunets, frontman of Smyslovye Gallyutsinatsii, Stas Yarushin and MUZLOFT BAND, and others.

RUTUBE is part of Gazprom-Media Holding.

RUTUBE presents Phoenix Award to bloggers blocked on foreign websites

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