Here is a peek into the mail I have received from readers and “business partners” this month.
Hi Thomas,
We’re writing to remind you that your business, Donation (account ID: XXXXXXX), won’t be able to accept payments after June 20, 2023 as we’ve determined that your it’s in violation of the Stripe Services Agreement. Specifically, we are unable to accept payments for crowdfunding, as mentioned on our Restricted Businesses list.
After June 20, 2023, your account will be closed and you will no longer be able to accept payments on your account.
If you believe that we’ve misunderstood or miscategorized your business and would like us to conduct another review of your account, please complete the form below on your Stripe Dashboard to provide more information about your business.
Once we hear back from you, we will review your information and get in touch again within two business days.
If you have any questions, please contact us.
— The Stripe team
The good news is that you’ll still be able to donate to the (lost?) cause of keeping this blog going via PayPal. The bad news is that you all have donated a total of $228.80 so far this year, which is not enough to cover my overhead expenses (on internet, hosting, and subscriptions), much less to inspire me to spend who knows how many hours every month reading the Russian press and Russian social media and sharing in translation important stories you would otherwise never read and unique viewpoints you would otherwise never hear. And when, often as not, the only “live” feedback to my labors is the kind you see, above, it makes me wonder whether it’s not time for me to bag this blog. ||| TRR