When Russia invaded Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine had been in full force for decades. In full control over the narratives Russians are allowed to hear, Putin was lying about the war and atrocities committed in their names.

Seeing Putin to cut off all potential sources of the truth, including independent news and social media, Call Russia turned to one channel Putin would be hard-pressed to cut off - telephone calls.

In just 4 weeks volunteers from around the globe made more than 130 000 calls and talked directly to Russian people explaining them what’s really happening in Ukraine.

As much as 80% of the Russian population support the war in Ukraine. Anyone who may be against the war in Russia despite the propaganda faces the threat of punishment for any criticism. People are afraid and feel disempowered to protest. Creating space and informing Russians who can break through this fear is critical to any attempt to stop Putin.

Knowing Putin would accelerate his moves to cut off all potential sources of the truth, including independent news social media, Call Russia turned to one channel Putin would be hard-pressed to cut off - telephone calls for direct communication with Russian people.

The initiative’s success depended on a massive global media launch, in multiple markets and languages, with the aim of earning widespread coverage that could connect on an emotional level strong enough to motivate Russian speakers to make the most difficult and important calls of their lives.

The creative idea was simple: one phone call won’t end the war, but 40 million might. The Russian people themselves, armed with the truth, had the power to stand against Putin.

Execution, however, was immensely complicated. For Call Russia to work, Russian-speaking volunteers need to invest significant time and emotional effort into a seemingly impossible task. Early volunteers said it would be much easier to donate money than to make these draining calls.

Our compelling assets and authentic voice rallied volunteers and supporters around the word to make “the most important call of your life,” and we set an ambitious goal with the 40 million phone numbers in our database, even though it is difficult to reach. Call Russia volunteers and supporters know that, like the war, the scope of the challenge is immense, but every conversation matters.

Call Russia assessed from the outset that recruiting callers would rely on massive earned media, as well as active and authentic social media presence, to compensate for its lack of advertising budget and no pre-existing name recognition.

The strategy highlighted Call Russia’s massive scale (more than 40 million phone numbers) and its uniquely in-depth approach. Call Russia is far from an impersonal or automated campaign. It is deeply reliant on human perseverance and connection.

The Call Russia’s cutting edge, bilingual web platform and moving video anthem, complemented by an attention-grabbing press release to be distributed widely via newswire and personally-tailored pitches for top media targets.

Preparation began with Call Russia’s cutting edge, bilingual web platform and moving video anthem, complemented by an attention-grabbing press release to be distributed widely via newswire and personally-tailored pitches for top media targets.

From the beginning, Call Russia put together a team of 4 psychologists to develop conversation guidelines, which were constantly tested and updated to reflect best practice. The official magazine of the American Psychological Association Monitor on Psychology has cited Call Russia as the best example of how to speak with Russians.

High-priority media had access to organizers and volunteers while the release and website were embargoed, followed by a globally coordinated launch. Top-tier coverage appeared near-simultaneously in global media and markets with large Russian diasporas (e.g., U.S., UK, Lithuania, Poland). A 24/7 virtual press room triaged inquiries and secured additional print, broadcast, and audio coverage (e.g., the popular BBC Ukrainecast and NPR’s This American Life).

Call Russia is featured in 800+ top tier articles from CNN, BBC, CBS News, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, RTL News, and others, reaching an audience of 1.7+ billion.

The initiative’s entirely organic Twitter presence reinforced earned media and far exceeded results of massively funded campaigns. Influential figures who shared Call Russia’s moving video anthem and call to action include Richard Branson and former International Space Station commander Scott Kelly.

Call Russia’s most important contribution is the more than 130,000 calls made from more than 130 countries in just four weeks. Nearly half these conversations have been positive, showing significant progress in advancing in what Putin fears most - putting the truth in the hands of the Russian people.

By the end of 2022, over 80,000 Russians heard the true story and, by the most conservative estimates, shared it with at least 10 people in their inner circle. That’s over 800,000 Russians.