Wargonzo and the Wagner Campaign: a stab in the back of the Prigozhin stabbing in the Ukraine, writes Eto Buziashvili
The funeral of Tatarsky was a sign of Russia’s influence during the war in Ukraine. Known as the voenkory, or military correspondents, they have stepped in to fill the information vacuum left by the government around what’s actually happening on the front lines. Many have accumulated giant followings, overseeing teams of people posting footage of the war. Pro-Russian Ukrainian blogger Yuri Podolyaka’s Telegram channel has 2.8 million followers. Semyon Pegov, who is known as WarGonzo, has 1.3 million followers. One account run by a former Arabic translator has over a million followers.
That influence meant that many Russians turned to Telegram when Yevgeny Prigozhin, a long time ally of Putin, launched a march on Moscow in a challenge to Russia’s defense minister. But instead of receiving their usual stream of updates, the pro-war group of Telegram bloggers havered.
While the response to warblogs was cautious, Eto Buziashvili is a research associate in the Digital forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council. They were looking for a side to take that would benefit them.
As the rebellion unfolded, bloggers who had courted Prigozhin while staying close to the Kremlin took the opportunity to reaffirm their loyalty to Putin. “Pegov [aka WarGonzo], who not so long ago recorded a very long video interview with Prigozhin that was full of compliments, called the Wagner rebellion ‘a stab in the back,’” says Buziashvili.
For some, the change in tone was galling. “I can’t understand those who just a few days ago, were fiercely jacking off on the Wagner PMC and are now suddenly yelling about when, how, and where exactly the traitors should be shot,” longtime Wagner supporter Alexander Pelevin said on Telegram, where he has a modest follower count of 21,000.
Prigozhin’s influence on the Ukrainian war in Ukraine and his role in the Scarlet Sails festival at the Putin-Sushi river
Russia’s most popular holiday is the Scarlet Sails festival. In a spectacular light show, there are ships passing along the river, fireworks cracking above them, as part of a celebration for high school graduates. Teenagers mill about the city and drink on the banks of the river while members of the Russian elite, officials and oligarchs alike, congregate to drink champagne on their luxurious yachts. President Putin enjoys this holiday in his hometown so much that he never misses a party on the river and always watches the ships go by.
Mr. Putin was responsible for allowing the situation to get out of hand. He encouraged Mr Prigozhin to join the war in Ukraine and to take a prominent position on the battlefield. The calculation was not strictly military. Mr. Prigozhin was clearly elevated to act as a counterweight to the defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the military generals, ensuring they didn’t become too popular. The president didn’t stop the criticism of the military leadership that Prigozhin was making.