Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Ukraine war: Who are Russia's war bloggers and why are they popular?

Ukraine war: Who are Russia's war bloggers and why are they popular?

Vladlen Tatarsky, who died in an explosion in St Petersburg on Sunday, was one of Russia's "war correspondents". But who are these bloggers - and why are they popular?
The writers are a loose assortment of people supporting the war in Ukraine and reporting about it, often from the front lines. They have extreme anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western views.

The correspondents - known as "voyenkory" in Russian - usually claim to have specialist military knowledge and access to Russian troops.

Some are embedded with them - and some appear to be fighting alongside them.

The degree of their affiliation with the government varies. Some are employed by Kremlin-controlled media, but others blog on social media - apparently without any links to any media outlet.

A major reason why they are so popular with Russian readers is they often offer more information than official reporting - and also offer a different, more critical perspective without questioning the need for the "special military operation".

Their emergence - after the initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014 - heralded a new chapter of war reporting in Russia.

For many, supporting the war does not necessarily mean supporting the authorities in Moscow - or, in particular, the military commanders conducting the invasion (although President Putin usually escapes criticism).

For example, the commanders were sharply criticised after a Ukrainian missile attack on a building in the occupied town of Makiivka, in which dozens of Russian soldiers died.

War correspondent Semyon Pegov, known as War Gonzo, has more than 1.2m subscribers on Telegram - one of the few major social media platforms not banned in Russia.

After Ukraine attacked Makiivka, he accused the defence ministry in Moscow of "openly trying to dodge the blame".

Another pro-war blogger, Boris Rozhin, who blogs as Colonel Cassad - with 800,000 subscribers on Telegram - accused Russian commanders of "incompetence and inability to comprehend the consequences of war".

Social media accounts linked to the Wagner private military company have been particularly critical of Russia's top brass.

And it's this criticism of the military authorities that makes war correspondents stand out from the all-pervasive Kremlin-controlled propaganda, which routinely embellishes progress of the "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Some commentators have argued that Russian military commanders feel threatened by critical war bloggers, and there have been attempts to silence them.

And popular war correspondents employed by traditional pro-Kremlin media tend to be much more accepting of the official line.

One of the most prominent is Alexander Kots, who works for the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid.

Responding to the killing of Vladlen Tatarsky, Kots pointed the finger of blame squarely at Ukraine - just like Russian officials did.

"Earth must be set on fire under the feet of any functionary from Kyiv," he wrote. "None of the non-humans waging war with Russia must feel safe."

Such reporters play a key role in constructing the Kremlin's narratives in the media.

For example, it was Yevgeny Poddubny, the war correspondent on Russia's most popular TV station, state-run Rossiya 1, who broke the official silence on Wagner mercenaries' involvement in Ukraine.

Reporting from the ruins of a power station in Donbas in July 2022, he unexpectedly said that the site had been "liberated" by Wagner.

This marked the start of reporting about Wagner in state-run media, which had previously ignored and even denied the group's existence.

Both Kots and Poddubny are subject to Western sanctions for their role in pro-Kremlin propaganda against Ukraine.

Many of the popular Russian social media accounts supporting the war with Ukraine are run anonymously and material they post is often extremely graphic.

One of the most infamous examples is Grey Zone, a Telegram channel affiliated with Wagner, which posted footage of the apparent murder of a "traitor" with a sledgehammer in November 2022.

Russian war correspondents often call for the destruction of Ukraine as an independent state. For example, Yuri Kotenok has called for the annihilation of the very Ukrainian identity.

"Even cancer can be cured, but Ukrainianism - never!" he once said on Telegram. "It's a type of Satanism that can only be destroyed with one thing - fire! All-consuming fire that will cleanse this filth."

Kotenok has more than 400,000 subscribers on Telegram.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
×