Samara businesswoman joins 'I am/We are Mashenka' flashmob
A flashmob titled «I am/We are Mashenka» is spreading on social networks, with small business representatives explaining why they were forced to cease operations or are on the verge of closing. The St. Petersburg entrepreneur who launched it also appealed to the president about tax increases, but unlike the Moscow region bakery, her appeal was not broadcast live.
Meanwhile, some suspect the interests of marketplaces behind the nationwide story of «Mashenka,» whose rescue is now being handled by ministers.
The «I am/We are Mashenka» flashmob was launched on 23 January by the Association of Beauty Industry Enterprises (APIC), headed by Lyalya Sadykova, owner of the Lucky Like beauty salon chain.
«The whole country learned about the »Mashenka« bakery. A small family business that might close not due to mistakes, not due to laziness, and not due to a poor product — but because the rules changed in a way that makes it impossible to continue. But the truth is that »Mashenka« is not alone.
«Mashenka» is:
a neighborhood bakery,
a hairdresser in a residential district,
a small cafe,
a workshop,
a beauty salon,
a clothing store,
a family business where every penny is counted and people are taken care of.
«Mashenka» is hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs across the country,« the message states.
What is «Mashenka» known for
The Lyubertsy bakery «Mashenka» became famous nationwide in late 2025. During a live broadcast with Vladimir Putin, entrepreneur Denis Maksimov said the new taxation system could destroy his business. During the conversation, Putin asked him to send samples of his products and also sent him gifts — an icon and wine.
However, on 20 January, Denis Maksimov said that despite officials« attention, he plans to close the business in May: a 3–4 percent profit margin barely covers living expenses. On 21 January, Putin raised the »Mashenka« issue at a meeting with government members and called for avoiding excessive pressure on small businesses.
The very next day, Maksimov told Vedomosti that he had «found a second wind» and now intends to open two or three more bakeries.
What the «Mashenkas» are saying
The APIC post has garnered over a hundred reposts and dozens of comments, where small business representatives from various sectors and cities share their stories and emotions.
Among the flashmob participants are colleagues of the Moscow region «Mashenka» in the food service market. «I have a bakery, we bake bread, buns, sausages, etc. We live in a small village, we are the only ones providing fresh bread. And since this year we»ve started thinking about closing. We«re just tired of the government»s idiocy and their reforms. There«s no mood, no desire,» reports the bakery owner.
Representatives of the beauty industry mostly reposted the APIC message, but some also shared their sentiments. «All small business is »MASHA«!!! And me too! I have to pay tax for January, but with what??? People in January–February rarely go to salons... Masters are resting..... People are in the same situation, without money...» comments a businesswoman from Ryazan.
Most entrepreneurs who told their stories own small clothing stores and cannot withstand competition with marketplaces.
«I am also »Mashenka«. I worked on a patent for three years, the patent in 2025 was 90 thousand rubles (about $900 at current rates), in 2026 — 855,000 rubles (about $8,600 at current rates), they raised the patent cost tenfold for us in Samara. Our local authorities, who made the decision, think our revenues will jump tenfold starting January 2026... An inspector from the tax office called and asked, what will you do? I said, I»ll go cry, there«s nothing else to do,» writes a home clothing store owner from Samara as part of the flashmob.
According to her, besides taxes, mandatory labeling added extra expenses. «Everything earned goes to loans and bills, we»re working at zero. How long we«ll last — we don»t know, we changed one retail space for a smaller one, trying to survive. All the clothing stores near us have closed,« the woman says.
«In a small district center, there are no jobs. A little shop — that»s my way to survive. You«re choking us, gentlemen officials, it can»t get any worse. And there«s no trade as it is. All these marketplaces have taken our bread, and you»re destroying us with your taxes and labeling,« comments a business owner on the APIC post.
«I am also »Mashenka«. Unfortunately, I closed my beloved lingerie store in January, 27 years in one location. But the new requirements lead to very large expenses that eat up all the profit. They might save »Mashenka,« but it»s a pity and painful for all the other small sole proprietors,« writes another flashmob participant.
«Unfortunately, my business also closed. 25 years in trade, 15 years in one store. Customers who loved us are perplexed: »Why? Where did you move?« And I throw up my hands: »Unfeasible labeling conditions and pressure...« it»s a pity...« shares an entrepreneur from Yekaterinburg.
«I am also »Mashenka«. It seems it has never been this bad. We worked at factories, didn»t get salaries for six months, had to go to the market with higher education and work experience. We were always proud of our country, honestly paid all taxes. What«s happening now is impossible to endure. Labeling and new taxes are killing us. We are all on the verge of closing,» adds a businesswoman from Yoshkar-Ola.
«I am »Mashenka«, clothing stores. Labeling and new taxes are killing us too. Save Russia»s Mashenkas!« writes a small business owner from Moscow.
«We are all »Mashenkas«... Small sole proprietors... Those who earned and allowed sellers to earn their daily bread... We survived everything since the 90s... But today... This, yes, it»s already impossible to endure all this...« summarizes an entrepreneur from Serpukhov.
«The downturn in trade started long before 2026, 2025 became noticeable for me: expenses exceeded income, I had to close the store I had high hopes for,» says another flashmob participant from Nizhny Novgorod. According to her, she took a loan to develop the business for a new outlet. «As a result, now there»s no store, a loan around my neck, and here«s labeling and new modules. So, where is a poor entrepreneur to turn?» she exclaims rhetorically.
«A family meat shop in a residential district of a small town, my mom, me and three girls, we all work officially, we fell off the patent and switched to AUSN, 140 thousand (about $1,400 at current rates) in tax already from 3 January, 14 years of work will be killed by taxes by May for sure. While we have some savings, we»ll work, I feel sorry for myself and the girls,« reports the shop owner.
«I am also »Mashenka«. And my children»s clothing and shoe stores of excellent quality and with superb service are almost destroyed. And if they didn«t »complicate our lives« and didn»t oppress us and didn«t put us in suuuuuuuuuuuch unequal conditions of doing business with large »players,« we would be very needed and valuable!!!!» believes an entrepreneur from St. Petersburg.
Hand of the marketplaces?
The media effect caused by the «Mashenka» story is causing concern among larger businesses. Co-owner of «Leonardo» Boris Kats suggested that the interests of marketplaces may be behind the campaign to save the bakery, in which Economic Development Minister Maksim Reshetnikov is participating.
In his opinion, businesses the size of «Mashenka» have access to the AUSN regime (a digital tax regime where the tax authority calculates taxes and contributions based on data from banks, cash registers, and marketplaces), which they can switch to at any time. «So why the uproar? The tax changes from 1 January are hindering the work of the marketplaces» «tax mixer.» Sellers are afraid of AUSN, they have no documents for the goods,« he believes.
However, not everyone agreed with the entrepreneur«s conclusions. In comments on the post, some noted that switching to AUSN is possible only if the company has a maximum of five employees. And for a cafe-bakery business, that»s clearly not enough. Others note that marketplaces themselves have no problems — they raised commissions 2–3 times. But ordinary sellers do have problems.
«In seller chats — quiet panic, mixed with loud wailing. AUSN is the tenth problem here, it»s hardly even taken into account. Because simultaneously they closed borders for cargo, added VAT, changed and added reporting document forms, raised commissions... And a few million Chinese are also pushing into the market: the marketplaces gave them super conditions and penny rates,« writes one user.
Boris Kats«s position was also commented on in her Telegram channel by tax consultant for small and medium businesses Natalya Goryachaya. In her opinion, offline business suffered more from tax pressure.
«If »live« retail breaks up, it»s clearly visible to the fiscal service. It«s much harder to bring to light several sole proprietors on special regimes who trade various things (at least until recently, when the Federal Tax Service and marketplaces agreed to exchange data, but the train has left, retail has slumped, closed stores cannot be brought back),» she notes.
As Lyalya Sadykova explained to Fontanka, the goal of the flashmob was to point out the problem of manual management. «If for normal business operation you need access to the president, then the problem is not with the entrepreneurs. And not even with one bakery. The problem is in the system that hears business only when it accidentally »breaks through« somewhere,» she said.
Earlier, APIC also sent a complaint about the tax reform to the president«s live broadcast. The appeal noted that the transition to VAT puts business before a choice: either close, or go into the shadows, or work at a loss until complete burnout. They failed to get on air with the question; the appeal was forwarded to the Finance Ministry, Lyalya Sadykova said. »We will continue to write,« she added.
