Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev declared victory over opposition leader Alexei Navalny on social media and ‘real life’ on Monday, following a social media post comparing the politicians’ following on social media.
Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) accused Medvedev this year of channeling bribes through non-profit organizations linked to close friends in a video investigation viewed on YouTube 24 million times.
The caption of an Instagram post shared by Navalny, which compares Medvedev’s 2.8 million Instagram followers to Navalny’s 236,000, reads “the ruling party is winning decisively in Instagram wars."
“More so in real life,” Medvedev responded from his personal account, followed by a winking-eye emoji with a stuck-out tongue.
Navalny remarked in jest: “That’s how brave he is! A winner in life, who wins decisive victories!”
This appears to be the second time Medvedev has publicly responded to social media users this year.
In March, he extended greetings to another Instagram user who called Navalny a “political hitman” and criticized the opposition leader’s investigation because it was published on her birthday.
ACF used geotags on Medvedev’s Instagram account in its latest investigation, as well as in a 2016 report linking him to a luxurious summer home in Ivanovo region.
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