- YouTube suspended the channel of a well-known Chinese vlogger who posted about life in Ukraine.
- Odesa resident Wang Jixian shares videos where he speaks about his opposition to the Russian invasion.
- The 37-year-old has gained more than 104,000 subscribers, but also hate from Chinese nationalists.
YouTube has suspended the account of a Chinese vlogger who gained fame — and death threats from Chinese citizens — after posting about his life in Ukraine, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.
Wang Jixian, who lives alone in Odessa, had been sharing videos almost daily in which he candidly speaks about his opposition to the Russian invasion.
The 37-year-old amassed more than 104,000 subscribers and a combined 6.5 million views on the platform, but has also endured repeated online attacks from Chinese nationalists who call him a traitor for not toeing Beijing’s official line. China has not condemned Russia for the invasion, with the media there painting the West as the villain.
YouTube told Wang that his account was suspended over a March 28 video that was flagged for “violent content,” he told RFA.
According to RFA, the video included footage of the city with sounds of exploding missiles and air-raid sirens going off. In it, Wang can be seen cooking in his kitchen and sharing Ukrainian state and media reports about the war, the outlet said.
“I find this inexplicable,” he told the outlet. “YouTube claims that my account was reported for violent content, which violates the rules, but where is the violence?”
According to RFA, the suspension is set to last for a week. In the meantime, Wang is posting to Twitter and to a separate YouTube channel.
Wang told the outlet he received multiple messages prior to his suspension, warning him not to “provoke the Chinese government” and urging him to avoid being “too aggressive with your comments.”
Insider has reached out to Wang and YouTube for comment.
“I’m non-partisan and I don’t have any religious beliefs. I insist that ‘people have the right to live’ (and that) no one should die in war, so if this belief of mine conflicts with any national interest, please be my enemy,” he added in his bio description.
All of his Chinese social media accounts, including on WeChat, have also been shut down, he wrote.
In an interview with CNN last month, Wang said that he has no desire to stop posting videos, despite the hate he has received from trolls.
“I want to (provide) some voice for the people in Ukraine, for the heroes, for my neighbors. Because in my eyes they are all heroes,” he told CNN. “I see people being calm, I see people brave… I want to remind you to see who is dying, who has been killed.”
According to the outlet, the Beijing native has lived in Odessa for the past four years and works as a programmer there.