Wang Jixian, whose daily Mandarin videos detailing his life in the Ukrainian city made him an internet sensation, was suspended on Thursday last week. In his video shortly before the suspension, his video showed Chinese translations of a recording of Ukrainians talking about atrocities committed by Russian soldiers. The Beijing native began posting daily vlogs on his YouTube channel shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. “Today… I’m still in Odessa. “I’m still alive,” his videos begin. His daily updates quickly attracted more than 100,000 followers as well as the rage of legions of Internet nationalists in China. His channel suddenly shut down last week. The developer told his Twitter followers that his appeal against the suspension was rejected last week. YouTube temporarily suspends reported accounts for possible violations for one week, which can be extended to 90 days if the violations continue. Contact YouTube for comment. Wang told Radio Free Asia that he did not blame YouTube, but the “secret motives” of those who mentioned him, saying: “Where is the violence? I did not put photos [of violence] in my video. “ Undaunted, Wang launched a new YouTube channel to continue his daily updates. His new account, created last Thursday, hosts a series of six-day videos and has already garnered 34,000 followers. The following posted messages of relief on his new channel. “I admire your courage,” one wrote. Despite his loyal followers, Wang’s support for Ukraine is disgusting with the narrative that China imposes on its citizens in its homeland. Chinese state media reported the atrocities in the city of Bukha earlier this week as a “show” by the Ukrainian side in the West, and largely portrayed Russia as a victim of the conflict. The suspension came after weeks of harassment by family members in China and the deletion of his WeChat account in mid-March. “What are you afraid of? Is my voice really that scary?” Wang said in a video that referred to the deletion of his WeChat account.
