THERE IS NO RUSSIA:

Kadyrov has long used social media to promote himself and his government, as well as to attempt to smear or humiliate his opponents. According to various reports, the Chechen government has invested heavily in promoting the online presences of Kadyrov's relatives and allies, reportedly paying popular singers and other performers large sums for promotion. In October 2020, the rapper Morgenshtern reported that he'd been given 400,000 rubles ($5,230) to promote the account of one of Kadyrov's close allies.

But more recently, and particularly with the advent of 1ADAT, Kadyrov's opponents have gained a toehold on the Internet, which sociologist Yevgeny Varshaver argues is a particularly powerful tool in societies, like those of the North Caucasus, with powerful social codes of "honor" and "dishonor."

"The rituals of honor and shame take on a second life on the Internet," Varshaver told RFE/RL, "because the Internet has a vast audience and that means the stakes are higher, the wins are more substantial, and the losses are more painful. Any viral video can be seen by millions and there is no taking it back, if you don't count the second typical use of the Internet [in such societies] -- [coerced] apologies."

"It is no surprise that in societies where 'honor' is the main currency, such incidents -- in which the number of spectators is maximized -- acquire fundamental importance," he said.

The anonymous leaders of 1ADAT seem to understand this. The channel they have created has a large number of anonymous contributors, and the anonymity seems to make many of them far bolder than bloggers who write -- even from self-exile outside Russia -- under their own names.

1ADAT's anonymity also means that many of its contributors live inside Chechnya and closer to the issues and symbols that push the buttons of residents there.

According to statements attributed to 1ADAT's leaders, the channel comprises a small leadership team that makes strategic decisions and a large base of volunteer administrators and contributors. Every leader, the channel says, "has been held captive by Kadryov's forces and has endured their torture."

In terms of content, the channel is a mixture of serious reports of alleged crimes and abuses by the authorities and insulting and humorous GIFs and memes targeting Kadyrov and his associates. The latter have made the channel extremely popular among youth in the North Caucasus, many of whom are motivated to contribute themselves.

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