Russian Authorities Reportedly Target Prominant Telegram Channels for “Discrediting the Russian Armed Forces”

Russian Authorities Reportedly Target Prominant Telegram Channels for “Discrediting the Russian Armed Forces”

Date:

According to the Russian media outlet Mash, nine prominent Russian military bloggers reportedly “risk falling under criminal charges for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces” and that the “content in their [Telegram] channels is already being analyzed for fakes, discredit and other prohibited and punishable things.” This comes as many of the channels reported on or criticized recent Russian military losses in Ukraine. 

Those named include:

  • Igor Strelkov: Former Russian soldier, FSB agent, and Minister of Defense for the Donetsk People’s Republic
  • Semyon Pegov: Prominent Russian war correspondent who runs War Gonzo
  • Yuri Podolyaka, Vladlen Tatarsky, Sergey Mardan, Igor Dimitriev, who are authors of Wagner PMC affiliated Grey Zone (RSOTM)
  • Rybar: A popular pro-Russian military blogger
  • Kristina Potupchik: Russian news blogger

Mash also went on to post that “According to our information, an application to Roskomnadzor demanding to check the work of the above authors was signed personally by the Chief of the General Staff. On the part of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the case is conducted by the head of the department for supervision over the implementation of the law on federal security, terrorism, extremism and international relations. The reason is criticism of the Ministry of Defense and its decisions during the special military operation.”

“But if the crime is collected and the guilt is established, the military commissars will either get off with a fine or receive up to three years in prison,” Mash added. So far there has not been any official confirmation from Russian authorities or the pages themselves.

As someone who studies information environments, this development is quite interesting. For any side in a conflict, information operations and pushing one’s own narratives in Media is crucial in shaping public perception on how things are going. It is also important to have a united front in this effort, as swaying from an established narrative will raise questions and cause division. Russia has attempted to hone in on this by threatening jail time for any of what it considers as “fake news” about the Russian military or its operations. 

For Russia, War Gonzo has been one of the most prominent channels pushing their narratives about military operations in Ukraine. Likewise, Grey Zone has been a primary pusher of Wagner and Russian PMC narratives. These two channels, however, have made note of recent Russian losses, with Grey Zone being more critical of Russian military leadership. Rybar has also been more open to reporting on Russian losses in Ukraine, especially in regards to Kharkiv and Kherson.

Igor Strelkov, while still promoting Russian narratives, has been highly critical of Russian military leadership since the start of the invasion, in which he frequently criticizes Russian tactics. At one point he accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of “criminal negligence” and has been sharply opposed to Putin’s threats of nuclear force. Strelkov has also chalked up Russia’s losses in Kharkiv to “utter idiotism.”

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Atlas
Atlashttp://theatlasnews.co
Unbiased & Unfiltered News Reporting for 12+ years. Covering Geo-Political conflicts, wartime events, and vital Breaking News from around the world. Editor-In-Chief of Atlas News.
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