Small business launches 'I am/We are Mashenka' flashmob

On January 23, the Association of Beauty Industry Enterprises (APIC), led by Lyalya Sadykova, initiated a flashmob on social media titled «I am/We are Mashenka.»

In it, small business owners describe why they are forced to cease operations or are on the brink of survival.

The impetus was the widely publicized story of the «Mashenka» bakery from the Moscow region, but the organizers emphasize that there are hundreds of thousands of similar cases across the country.

«Mashenka» is:

• a neighborhood bakery,
• a hair salon in a residential district,
• a small cafe,
• a workshop,
• a beauty salon,
• a clothing store,
• a family business that counts every penny,« APIC explained.

The Story of the «Mashenka» Bakery

In late 2025, Denis Maksimov, owner of a bakery in Lyubertsy, during a live broadcast with Vladimir Putin, stated that the new taxation system could destroy his business.

After that, the entrepreneur received attention from the authorities, but on January 20, 2026, he announced plans to close in May, as a profit margin of 3–4% barely covers living expenses.

On January 21, the president discussed the situation at a meeting with the government, urging to avoid excessive pressure on small businesses.

Already on January 26, Maksimov told Vedomosti that he had «got a second wind» and plans to open two or three more bakeries.

Voice of Entrepreneurs

APIC«s post garnered over a hundred reposts and dozens of comments. Participants from various industries share similar problems: a sharp tax increase, mandatory product labeling, and competition with marketplaces.

The owner of a bakery from a small town wrote: «We are tired of the government»s idiocy and their reforms. There is neither mood nor desire.«

An entrepreneur from Ryazan in the beauty sector noted: «All small businesses are »MASHEnKA«!!! Me too! I have to pay taxes for January, but with what??? People rarely go to salons in January-February…»

The owner of a home clothing store from Samara reported that the patent for individual entrepreneurs increased from 90,000 rubles (approx. $1,000 at current rates) in 2025 to 855,000 rubles (approx. $9,500 at current rates) in 2026. «An inspector from the tax office called and asked, what will you do? I said, I»ll go cry,« she quoted.

According to the businesswoman, all earned funds go to loans and bills, and mandatory labeling has added expenses.

«In a small district center, there is no work. A small shop is my way to survive. Choke us, gentlemen officials, it can»t get any worse,« commented another flashmob participant.

An entrepreneur from Yekaterinburg with 25 years of experience shared: «Unfortunately, my business also closed… Customers who loved us are perplexed… And I throw up my hands: »Impossible labeling conditions and burden.«»

«I am »Mashenka,« clothing stores. Labeling and new taxes are also killing us. Save Russian Mashenkas!» wrote a business owner from Moscow.

A participant from Nizhny Novgorod added that she took a loan for development, but the store had to be closed: «As a result, now there is no store, a loan around my neck, and here is labeling and new modules.»

Version on the Influence of Marketplaces

Co-owner of the Leonardo network Boris Kats suggested that the campaign to save «Mashenka» may be linked to the interests of marketplaces.

He noted that the AUSN regime is available for small enterprises, and the criticism, in his opinion, is related to the fact that new tax rules complicate the work of marketplaces« »tax mixer.«

However, other commentators disputed this position. They pointed out that switching to AUSN is only possible with no more than five employees, which is not suitable for a cafe-bakery.

They also added that sellers on marketplaces now have many problems: the blocking of cargo deliveries, the addition of VAT, new reporting forms, and an increase in commissions.

Tax consultant Natalya Goryachaya noted in her Telegram channel that offline retail has suffered more, as it is more visible to fiscal authorities.

Goal of the Flashmob

Lyalya Sadykova explained to Fontanka that the action is meant to point out a systemic problem of manual management.

«If for normal business operation one needs access to the president, then the problem is not with the entrepreneurs. The problem is with the system that hears business only when it has accidentally »broken through« somewhere,» she said.

Previously, APIC also sent an appeal regarding the tax reform to the president«s live broadcast, but it was not aired and was forwarded to the Ministry of Finance. »We will continue writing,« added Sadykova.