This video’s intro is a last minute thing unrelated to its main content.
Yesterday, as a part of a Russian strike at the Odesa region,
one of the Shahed suicide drone hit an apartment building in Odesa.
My team and I happened to know a person who lost their sister Anna Haidarzhy and nephew Timofey during the attack.
I was asked to spread the word about this family tragedy.
These are Anna’s last Instagram photos with her husband Sergey as a full family. They were taken on Christmas.
I checked this Instagram profile.
The entire family history is there. The wedding. Liza’s birth. Little Timofey coming into this world.
He was very young, born on Nov 20, 2023. On March 2, 2024, he died with his mother, aged 31.
Here’s a picture from Odesa local media.
We can see the place Sergey and 3-year-old Liza managed to survive.
Behind the curtains on that window, there’s the room they were in during the strike. Here’s their car parked nearby.
We can still recognize an ad in Russian on it, “Airbag Repair.”
Even with the war outbreak, Anna and Sergey Haidarzhy focused on their personal happiness in their posts.
They used both Russian and Ukrainian languages.
They appeared as ardent Christians and observed Easter and Christmas, which isn’t as common as it’s in the West.
And now, half of the family was murdered by an Iranian Shahed drone.
I’d like to read a message they posted shortly before the full-scale invasion.
“Happy New Year 2022! We thank the Lord for the past year full of blessings and favors, and for our precious daughter!
This special year ushered in a new life! Godly peace to our homes and families! We wish you gratitude and holy life!”
In the pinned comment, you will find bank details to support Sergey and Liza.
They have nowhere to live, and Sergey won’t be able to work for a while:
he has to arrange his wife and son’s funeral while taking care of his little daughter.
And now, to the main topic.
PRO-WAR BLOGGERS AT GUNPOINT
One of the causes for anxiety among the anti-war liberal public in Russia is conflicts within Putin’s opposition.
It leads to the misconception that liberals are at work pummeling each other while pro-war speakers are united
as one, and will stand together till the end of time.
This happens because people of our views follow only the events on our side of informational barricades.
We watch Navalny’s channel, TV Rain, and Maxim Katz. We have little interest in the pro-war bloggers’ affairs.
Meanwhile, a lot of popcorn is needed to watch it. Speakers harass each other driving some to suicide.
And check that: the neo-Nazi Rusich Group’s press service complains about political censorship!
Today we’ll delve into the pro-war bloggers environment, and discuss whether they feel cozy in the system.
Spoiler alert: they don’t.
DECEASED MURZ
We’ve covered the pro-war bloggers phenomenon several times.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they prefer to go by “war correspondents.”
Let’s agree to not do them the honor and call them that,
at the very least out of respect for real war correspondents like Konstantin Simonov or Ernest Hemingway.
So, the pro-war bloggers swiftly gained support and recognition among few avid war supporters,
not among those who after a hard day’s work tune in to evening news to learn
what we save Ukraine from this time.
Pro-war bloggers’ audience is those who prefer active search for verified info
to mindless propaganda consumption.
The more pronounced the pro-war position a person has, the more they realize there’s no truth on TV.
There were no casualties among Moskva middle cruiser’s crew.
All the crew members were rescued. There were no losses of military personnel.
Igor Konashenkov, Andrey Gurulyov, Andrey Kartopolov, and other high-ranking officers employed
as talking heads, were given derogatory names not by liberals.
“Armchair general” and other terms were coined by the pro-war audience
that actually follows the situation at the front and roots for Russia.
Hence their constant frustration from the eyewash emanating from all official info sources.
This audience sought an alternative, and Putin’s system sought to get rid of this alternative.
Last summer, popular pro-war bloggers met with the president.
This gesture acknowledged them as a vital part of the media landscape,
but also was a way to force them into submission.
About the same time, Igor Girkin was nabbed.
He refused to comply and kept writing seditious posts at the whim.
He criticized the military and political authorities for failures, and was skeptical
about the way the “special operation” was conducted.
And those who don’t meet the president, meet a prison guard. These are that clique’s rules.
Journalist Michael Nacke, who often reviews pro-war Telegram channels, brought out a curious pattern.
Whenever a new jingoist channel emerges, at first it presents loads of interesting info
that contradicts the Defense Ministry official reports.
But as soon as such a channel wins subscribers and gains popularity,
Recently, one of the most prominent pro-war bloggers took his life in protest against censorship.
His name was Andrey Morozov a.k.a. Murz.
He used to spill the beans about the mismanagement in the Russian army,
and his reports were often referred to by Igor Girkin before he ended up in the can.
The last straw for the regime was the estimated number of Russian losses
in the battle of Avdiivka published by Murz.
He speculated that over 16,000 Russian troops died there over a few months:
that’s more than the Soviet army lost over 10 years in Afghanistan.
They unleashed a bullying campaign against Murz headlined by propagandistic
TV show Solovyov LIVE’s recurring guests. As a result, Murz committed suicide.
A Ukrainian news agency took a screenshot of someone called Murza’s post.
He writes that there were 16,000 Russian casualties since October.
He went to St. Petersburg prosecutor’s office, but they denied his request.
Just so you know, people he wants to sue are national heroes. “You soldiers die in silence,” he says.
Doesn’t this statement violate the crime code?
He must be punched in the face for his words. It’s hard to miss such a face.
Interestingly, in fall 2022, Solovyov himself took the role of a truth
fighter lecturing incompetent officials and generals.
There are too many lying bastards! They are at every level, top to bottom.
They were lying about the stores; they were lying about the condition the equipment is in;
how many people they've got. Not a single one got executed
During the time of the Russian army failures at Kharkiv and Kherson,
propaganda was tasked with whooping an abstract military officer without mentioning
any names for people to let off steam without harming any official.
Solovyov & Co. have another assignment now: to smash anyone who goes against the guidelines.
One of the grisliest examples is the coverage of Russian military formations obliteration.
This year, a series of similar incidents took place.
Commanders ingeniously aligned the military personnel at the front in ceremonial ranks to,
say, greet a visiting general.
Soldiers and officers placed compactly on open terrain are a perfect target for the Ukrainian artillery.
One shell is enough to take down dozens of soldiers and wound many more.
On Solovyov LIVE, you won’t hear condolences to the families of the dead and injured,
many of whom were shanghaied to fight the war.
Instead, they froth at the mouth discussing those who washed the dirty linen in public,
those who reported the incidents.
In propaganda’s POV, hundreds of people who died because of the president’s
whim and the superiors’ idiocy don’t constitute a crime.
The crime is making these deaths public knowledge.
The reporter’s pro-war position and his sincere desire to point out mistakes
that should be fixed to ensure the “special operation” success aren’t considered mitigating circumstances.
The only acceptable way to discuss such problems is to make them seem mundane. Like, it’s war, stuff happens.
War is a hard, bitter, and painful thing. But it’s your holy duty.
And if you’re scared, if you ran away with a gun in your hands,
doesn’t this mean you betrayed your brothers-in-arms?
Earlier this week, a Russian paramilitary unit with a strong media presence complained about censorship.
I’m talking about the neo-Nazi Rusich Group led by zoosadist Alexey Milchakov.
Alongside engaging in hostilities, the group’s members are pro-war bloggers on their own,
and are active on social media.
They announced they had a fundamental disagreement with the Russian authorities
about executions of Ukrainian POWs.
The neo-Nazis believe that murdering of disarmed AFU soldiers should be posted online
for the Russian soldiers to fear surrendering to Ukraine.
That’s their twisted rationale.
Meanwhile the Russian intelligence services and even the presidential administration demand that the Rusich Group
stop publishing these materials, especially at the time the president addresses the Federal Assembly
with a rant on love and compassion. And now the Rusich Group complains about political pressure and direct threats.
And they should be scared. They didn’t join but definitely supported the Wagner Group rebellion
on their social media.
Its leader Prigozhin was somewhat similar to the Rusich Group:
he was an active combatant and pro-war blogger with a huge audience and personal opinion.
As we remember, he was eliminated in a spectacular manner.
8 months later, there’s still no other opinion about his death but political assassination.
Even though innocent people – civil pilots and a flight attendant – were taken down with Prigozhin,
the authorities didn’t bother cooking up a version that would make them seem not involved in the plane crash.
Quite the opposite, everyone should see what happens when they disobey.
TURNCOATS
There’s a specific type of pro-war bloggers:
former Ukrainian citizens who’ve moved to Russia and begun working for the state media.
Propaganda presents them as “good Ukrainians” who’ve made the right choice.
They’re treated in a special way.
Any implication of independence, a tiny blooper or wrong phrasing makes propaganda remind them
of their origin, and openly call them third-class citizens.
One of the examples is famous pro-war blogger Yuri Podolyaka from the city of Sumy.
The regime alternates between petting him and treating him as dirt.
Another former Ukrainian Tetiana Montian who used to enjoy the pro-war audience appeal,
is now a prime target for Solovyov LIVE.
She’s been deliberately bullied for months.
The only title she’s awarded on national TV that we can say here without bleeping is “crypto Banderite.”
So Montian's article uses Ukrainian Nazis lingo, and I, a Jew, am human garbage for her.
This anti-Semitic sl...t came to my country to spread her Banderite ideas. How's this normal?
Next to Montian, there’s Odesa’s native Vladimir Grubnik, founder of “Ghost of Novorossiya” Telegram channel.
That’s how Vladimir Solovyov refers to his alleged comrade.
That's the usual Banderite crap. I'm not the one responsible, it's up to the tax office and law enforcers.
So I'm being hunted at Zelenskyy's orders by the Ukrainian intelligence and this scum on their payroll.
Oleg Tsaryov, another Ukrainian defector, has long been a target for bullying as well.
But after an assassination attempt he was severely wounded, so they left them alone for now.
STRANGERS AMONG THEIR OWN
On March 2, Igor Girkin’s wife stated that her husband isn’t allowed to meet or even phone his mother.
Official complaint papers on the matter are reportedly “lost.”
Such treatment of pro-war bloggers, and Girkin is arguably one of them,
illustrates how the government works under the same person as president for 25 years.
Someone with strong beliefs, someone who’s sincere in their own way and isn’t swayed by the regime,
has only two ways out: death or penal institution.
Girkin and Murz are highly unlikable characters.
One of them is recognized as a war criminal by the World Court.
But they were punished not for their crimes but due to political reasons.
They believed in their wrongful cause and didn’t shut up when told to.
One can’t have beliefs in Putin’s system, but ditching one’s morals doesn’t provide immunity.
Former Ukrainian citizens who decided to join Putin’s propaganda ranks, remained Ukrainians for the system.
They’ll always remain aliens.
After 2 years of war, Putin built a system no one’s safe in regardless of behavior patterns.
A war proponent is often at more risk than its opponent.
There’s always a chance of being eaten alive for supporting the “special operation” inappropriately.
In times when propaganda manuals change daily, even the most slippery ones often slip the wrong way.
Not all pro-war bloggers are true believers like Girkin or Murz, but practically everyone has been
a target for friendly fire for being slow to adapt.
These days, following the regime’s narrative is akin to playing a snake video game,
with its increasing speed and difficulty.
On the other hand, while the system still needs thugs who openly identify as neo-Nazis, the regime will pamper them.
The system that has long rejected written law and even its own tacit agreements has no regard
for its pretentious fibs about de-Nazification.
The State Duma deputies will shake Hitler fans’ hands if needs be.
National TV presenters will also greet them as heroes.
This won’t last forever. The time will come, and the Rusich leader will be next.
According to his posts, he’s already being slapped.
Because having an opinion on war in Putin’s Russia is dangerous for everyone:
its supporters, opponents, and even direct participants.
In 2 weeks, Putin’s re-election will take place.
Russian citizens better understand why they don’t need Putin: he presents a lethal danger.
In law-abiding Russia, many of the characters we mentioned today would be behind bars anyway.
But they wouldn’t be driven to suicide or deprived of the right to phone their parents.
They wouldn’t be afraid of their own shadows anticipating to be whacked.
Moreover, in a legal state, these individuals wouldn’t commit most of their crimes.
A legal state wouldn’t encourage savage behavior.
Milchakov wouldn’t lead a neo-Nazi squad under daily risk of being murdered by his comrades.
He’d do some time for animal cruelty though.
Girkin would be entertaining himself with historical reenactment.
Murz would pummel liberals in his blog.
Turncoats, who are arrested in absentia back in Ukraine and bullied in Russia, would go about their own business.
A functional state puts effort into ensuring people’s criminal inclinations are never materialized.
Are there reenactors who’d rather kill for real instead of pretending to do so?
Sure there are. But a healthy state won’t give them the opportunity.
Putin’s regime is vile because it creates the environment in which a person capable of evil will always commit it.
But the same regime is likely to dispose of the villain afterwards.
“We don’t abandon our kind” is only a poster slogan.
In reality, Putin’s system will cage, bully, or waste anyone, be it an outsider or the so-called “their kind.”
There’s no person alive they consider “their kind.”
For the regime, people are a resource not valuable enough to be conserved.
See you tomorrow.