Russian military bloggers like the late Vladlen Tatarsky are gaining prominence in Russia.
They often have pro-Russian views.
Munich – A Russian war blogger died in an explosion in St. Petersburg on Sunday (April 2).
The blogger was Vladlen Tatarsky, who was close to the Kremlin.
In addition to him, there are other military bloggers who write about the war in Ukraine.
Through Telegram they spread their information, which is often more detailed than the news from traditional Russian media.
But who are these people anyway?
Russian military bloggers: who are the war correspondents?
Military bloggers are becoming increasingly important in Russia.
According to a November 2022 report by the
Institute for the Study of War
(ISW), there are said to be over 500 authors.
They follow the war from a pro-Russian perspective and maintain relationships with Russian armed forces, such as the Wagner Group.
However, well-known bloggers are not completely independent.
Some of them are linked to Russian media and the Kremlin, the
ISW
writes.
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A poster of Vladlen Tatarsky, who died in an explosion in St. Petersburg on April 2nd.
© Taisija Voroncova/IMAGO
Blogger "Rybar" runs one of the most successful Telegram channels and is a former employee of the Russian Defense Ministry.
Other military bloggers work as correspondents for Russian state media such as
Komsomoslkaya Pravda, Ria
and
RiaFan
where they also cover the war.
Russian war bloggers share Kremlin line – and also criticize commanders
Well-known military blogger and correspondent for
Komsomoslkaya Pravda
Alexander Kots has been a member of Russia's Human Rights Council since November,
ISW
reported
.
He is said to have been one of the first to blame Ukraine for the Tatarsky attack, following the Kremlin's narrative.
The Russian opposition is now being held responsible for the attack.
Bloggers don't always share the Kremlin's opinion.
Some of you criticize the conduct of the war, especially the Russian commanders, as the
BBC
writes.
That is said to have been the case when hundreds of soldiers were involved in a rocket attack in the Donbass city of Makiivka
were killed.
One of the loudest voices was Semen Pegov, who blogs as "War Gonzo" and has more than 1.2 million subscribers on Telegram.
After the attack, he accused Moscow of "openly trying to avoid blame," as
quoted by the
BBC .
Russia's "war correspondents": Kremlin tries to influence
Boris Rozhin, also known as "Colonel Cassad", has around 800,000 subscribers on Telegram.
According to
the BBC,
he described the Russian commanders as "incompetent and unable" to understand the aftermath of the war.
The war bloggers are also known for always sharing a little more information than the Kremlin.
It was Yevgeny Poddubny, who works for the state TV channel
Rossiya 1
, who reported from Donbass in July that the Wagner group of mercenaries had “liberated” the power plant, as the
BBC
writes.
To date, Russian media have never reported on the Wagner Group and have denied their involvement in the Ukraine war.
Due to the reach of bloggers, Russian officials are trying to gain influence.
"The Russian Presidential Administration and the Ministry of Defense try to bring some of them under control with paid posts if they criticize the military too much," said the political scientist and Russia expert at the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Research in Regensburg, Fabian Burkhardt, the
SRF
.
"So numerous Russian figures and groups are trying to control and influence this 'new public' of military bloggers," Burkhardt said
.
The bloggers can help justify Russia's war of aggression.
(vk)
List of rubrics: © Taisija Voroncova/IMAGO
