Russian war bloggers have reacted cautiously to the death of mercenary army leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Even at the beginning of the year, they praised him.
“[Jevgeni] Prigozhin murder has catastrophic consequences. Those who gave the order do not understand the atmosphere and spirit in the army at all.”
This is what a Russian war blogger wrote Roman Saponkov message service on Telegram on Wednesday, just a moment after the news about the crash of the plane of mercenary army leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Saponkov’s outspoken outburst, in which he refers to the regime’s murder of Prigozhin, is an exception.
Mainly Russian war bloggers have written about Prigozhin’s death cautiously, focusing on relaying the latest information and rumors about the plane crash.
The change is big from the beginning of this year, when many bloggers openly criticized the military leadership and praised Prigožin.
Fear can have an effect in the background.
The most famous blogger criticizing the war leadership Igor Girkin was arrested about a month ago. Prigozhin’s fate after his rebellion can also be understood as a cautionary example.
Different theories are spreading
War bloggers are influential far-right figures who transmit information and propaganda about the course of the war of aggression against Russia. Many have connections to the armed forces, security services or Prigožin’s Wagner mercenary company.
The background of the bloggers can be seen in how much they write about Prigožin’s death.
Bloggers close to the administration, such as Komsomolskaja pravda Aleksandr Kots, have drowned the Prigozhin news among other updates. Russian state news media have also operated in the same way.
A little more independent bloggers have followed the events related to the plane crash intensively and broadcast leaks about the investigation, the authenticity of which is impossible to verify.
Bloggers have spread various theories about the cause of the accident. Maybe a bomb exploded in the plane, and the West or Ukraine could be behind it.
However, the blaming fingers do not point at the administration, at least not directly.
In the past, the Russian regime has spread conflicting claims about acts it itself has committed. In this way, the real course of events is obscured among the audience.
“In the game of thrones you either win or die”
Prigožin’s own Wagner company has kept a low profile. It reports on its Telegram channel that it has not made any statements about what happened.
However, the Telegram channel Gray Zone, close to Wagner, wrote on Wednesday that Prigozhin died due to the actions of Russian traitors.
Gray Zone has also abundantly shared Prigožin and his second-in-command, apparently killed in the same plane crash Dmitry Utkin, commemorative pictures and videos.
Only a few of the actual bloggers have taken a stand on death.
The pseudonym Vojenkor Kotenok writes that he is shocked because Prigozhin’s death is a hard blow to Russia. According to the blogger, Wagner was particularly effective in the war of aggression and increased Russia’s influence in Africa.
The moniker Vojennyi Osvedomitel quotes the TV series Game of Thrones in a way that can be understood as a veiled reference to the regime’s guilt.
“In the game of thrones, you either win or you die. There is no third option.”