[News] Arrest of pro-war blogger Igor Girkin prompts more criticism from Russian accounts

[Amaterasu イタチ]

 

Several pro-war Russian military bloggers have publicly questioned the decision to arrest Igor Girkin, a former official in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic who had also covered the war online.

Blogger Vladislav Pozdniakov, who leads an unofficial Russian men's movement that advocates for Russian nationalism, noted that Girkin served in Russia's military in Bosnia, Transnistria, Crimea and for two wars in Chechnya.

"Are we sure that everything is fine in our country?" he asked.

Another unofficial Telegram channel called "Mad about Z war" wrote that Girkin's detention "does not please at all."

"He was certainly never against Russia, although he is harsh in his language," it said in the post. "There are much more 'worthy characters'" to be imprisoned, it added.
What we know so far: Girkin, a former KGB officer who helped Russia seize Crimea and was convicted of mass murder for his role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine, was taken from his home in Moscow by security agents on Friday and charged with “extremist activity,” according to state media and a post on his Telegram account attributed to his wife. 

A judge in Moscow ordered him held in custody until September 18 as he awaits a trial, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

More background: Russia’s pro-invasion military bloggers play an outsized role in Moscow’s propaganda machine. They serve as unofficial war correspondents, relying on deep sources within Russia's military, and they are often allowed unusual leeway — by Moscow's standards — to criticize any perceived mishaps.

Girkin, who also goes by the nom de guerre Igor Strelkov, had in recent months taken his criticisms to another level. He has been openly critical of Russia’s military in Ukraine and even Russian President Vladimir Putin himself, calling the leader a "lowlife" and "cowardly bum."

Some military bloggers poked fun at Girkin following his detention, calling him a "grumpy old man." But they also questioned his arrest, especially when Wagner private military group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin apparently remains free following an armed rebellion.

"Such an obnoxious old man who grumbles that no one knows how to do anything but never hurts anyone," said Anastasiia Kashevarova, a Russian "volunteer" and military blogger, in a Telegram post. "If the old man grumbles, let him grumble. And somehow, it looks cowardly that Prigozhin has been pardoned, and they are trying to fabricate an indictment for Strelkov."
Daniil Bezsonov, a military blogger for the Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic, said, "People can have different opinions about Strelkov, but arresting him for extremism is overkill." 

 

https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-07-22-23/index.html