Putin's army of Telegram war bloggers and TV propagandists unmasked
As Russian tanks roll through Moscow's Red Square for the annual Victory Day parade, tens of thousands of social media pages are churning lies – all behind the scenes – to glorify Russia's ongoing invasion.
A new report released today reveals how this campaign is part of a tightly controlled ecosystem involving senior Kremlin officials and pro-war media personalities.
Operating within a three-tiered structure, at the very top are are the Russian president's trusted advisers.
First deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko, Alexei Gromov – referred to as the Kremlin's 'media puppet-master' – and Sofia Zakharova, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, shape the messaging.
Below them sit officials from the Russian ministry of defence and ministry of foreign affairs, overseeing how these narratives are then deployed.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
But the bulk of the work is done by the so-called 'third pillar'.
It is made up of a growing network of media personalities and influencers, including Z-bloggers on Telegram and military correspondents, known as 'voyenkory' in Russian.
The degree of their affiliation with the Kremlin varies as some are directly employed by state-controlled media, but others blog online.
Published by international human rights group Global Rights Compliance, the report cites ANO Dialog as a key player.
The government-linked group that manages more than 100,000 fake social media accounts and a wide network of Telegram channels was sanctioned by both the UK and US governments.
For almost two years, it has been masquerading as a professional outlet in order to spread Russian disinformation.
One of its employees, Timofey Vasilyev, also created pseudo fact-checking site 'War on Fakes,' which regularly pushes Kremlin narratives disguised as facts.
Bloggers and channels profit from the invasion, call for more attacks and even openly support war crimes.
'These persons profit from the war, celebrate it, downplay the severity of Russian losses and even openly cheer for war crimes,' the report read.
'If they have one consistent criticism, it is that Russia is not waging as much war in Ukraine as they would like.'
Some of these bloggers – like Katrusya, who runs the Telegram channel Signal – even attend strategy meetings hosted by ANO Dialog.
Representatives of major pro-Kremlin Telegram channels like Readovka and Mash are also known to be among them, the report said.
Their coordinated efforts were especially visible after the Kakhovka Dam explosion in 2023, in which at least 58 people were killed.
Telegram channels linked to the Kremlin immediately blamed Ukraine in a deliberate effort to mislead the world.
Readovka, Pul №3 and FRONTовые Zаметки were among those pushing for the false narrative.
For example, the Telegram channel of the propagandist and Kremlin pool journalist Dmitry Smirnov, Pul №3 reported that the explosion was done to 'cause a surge of enthusiasm in Western countries, so that they would hate Russia again'.
Ukrainian-born Yuliya Vityazeva, a famous propagandist, claimed on her Telegram channel: 'Of course, Ukraine 'did not blow up' the Kakhovka HPP.
'Just as it 'did not burn' people alive in Odessa. [As it] 'did not shoot' Mariupol residents.
'[As it] 'did not bomb' Luhansk. [As it ] 'did not shell' Donetsk with artillery [As it ] 'did not execute' prisoners. [As it ]'did not […]' More Trending
'The list of Ukrainian crimes is long. So much so that one more doesn't
surprise any of us much anymore.
'Just like how, with eagerness and without hesitation, they instantly blamed us once again.'
Nadiia Vaskivska, legal advisor at Global Rights Compliance said such non-state actors have a 'strong influence' on how the invasion is perceived, in Russia and internationally.
She told Metro: 'This report shows how different non-state actors, including NGOs, Z-bloggers and voyenkors, are taking part in the dissemination of information alibis and playing a pivotal role in this process.'
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Donald Trump claims football World Cup could end Russia's invasion of Ukraine
MORE: Deputies chase down and surround stolen luxury yacht and bust hijacker
MORE: Minerals for peace? Trump strong-arms Ukraine into controversial deal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Russian missiles hit Ukrainian army training ground, killing at least three
It is the latest attack to embarrass military officials as they struggle to make up a severe manpower shortage in the more than three-year war. Russia's Defence Ministry said Ukraine's 169th training centre near Honcharivske in the Chernihiv region was hit with two Iskander missiles, one armed with multiple submunitions and another with high explosives, killing or wounding about 200 troops. A Russian missile on a residential area in Kharkiv (Anatolii Lysianskyi/AP) Meanwhile, Moscow continued its stepped-up aerial campaign against Ukrainian civilian targets, launching 78 attack drones overnight, including up to eight newly developed jet-powered drones, Ukraine's air force said on Wednesday. At least five people were wounded. The UN mission in Ukraine says there has been a worsening trend in civilian casualties from Russian attacks this year, with 6,754 killed or injured in the first half of 2025 — a 54% increase from the same period in 2024. Since Moscow launched an all-out invasion of neighbouring Ukraine on February 24 2022, at least 13,580 Ukrainian civilians, including 716 children, have been killed, according to the UN. In an effort to stop that, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is giving Vladimir Putin until August 8 for peace efforts to make progress or Washington will impose punitive sanctions and tariffs. Western leaders have accused the Russian president of dragging his feet in US-led peace efforts in an attempt to capture more Ukrainian land. Ukrainian forces are mostly hanging on against a grinding summer push by Russia's bigger army, though the Russian Defence Ministry has claimed some recent small advances at places along the 620-mile front line. Ukrainian ground forces acknowledged that a Russian strike hit a military training ground in the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine, but its casualty report differed widely from the one issued by Moscow. A damaged building in a prison hit by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia region (Olexander Pavlov/AP) A Russian Defence Ministry video showed multiple small explosions apparently caused by a missile with a shrapnel warhead followed by one big blast, apparently from the other one armed with a high-explosive warhead. A similar Russian strike occurred last September when two ballistic missiles blasted a Ukrainian military academy and nearby hospital, killing more than 50 people and wounding over 200 others. Ukrainian authorities said a commission led by the head of the Military Law Enforcement Service has been formed to determine whether negligence or misconduct by officials contributed to the casualties in Chernihiv. The attack was the fourth deadly strike in five months on Ukrainian military facilities. The three previous strikes killed at least 46 soldiers and wounded more than 160, according to official reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill on Tuesday that allows Ukrainian men over the age of 60 to voluntarily sign contracts with the armed forces. The law assists those who want to contribute their experience and skills, particularly in non-combat or specialised roles. In February, Ukraine's Defence Ministry began offering new financial and other benefits it hoped would attract men between the ages of 18 and 24 to military service. Men in that age group are exempt from the country's draft, which covers those aged 25 to 60. Ukraine lowered its conscription age from 27 to 25, but that has failed to replenish ranks or replace battlefield losses.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Russia has developed immunity to sanctions, Kremlin says after Trump tightens ceasefire deadline
MOSCOW, July 30 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday it continues to monitor statements by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding sanctions against Moscow, but that Russia had acquired immunity to such measures thanks to long experience. Trump said on Tuesday that the United States would start imposing tariffs and other measures on Russia in 10 days if Moscow showed no progress towards ending its more than three-year-long war in Ukraine. "We have been living under a huge number of sanctions for quite a long time, our economy operates under a huge number of restrictions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "Therefore, of course, we have already developed a certain immunity in this regard, and we continue to note all statements that come from President Trump, from other international representatives on this matter." Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the threat of new sanctions "routine" and said it was odd that the U.S. and the West had not yet understood that imposing such measures did not work and only served to hurt Western economies. "We see that the West simply cannot let go of the issue of sanctions. It seems as if they are constantly stuck in a rut," Zakharova told a news briefing in Moscow. "Apparently, there are no other options left - they have been exhausted. We are responding and taking measures to counteract all of this or even turn it to our own advantage."
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
Trump ally running for office representing Georgia spells it wrong in ad campaig
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A pro-Trump lawmaker running for the Senate embarrassingly misspelled the name of his own state in his ad campaign. Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia unveiled a 38-second video that starts with him saying that 'this place is broken, out of touch Democrats like our two US senators who fight harder for MS-13 gang members than they will nursing students at UGA (University of Georgia)'. His voiceover on the clip continues that 'we've got to be absolutely unrelenting, we've got to be unafraid to fight', with footage of a 'truckers for Trump' MAGA hat. It then has audio of President Donald Trump saying, 'Mike Collins, great job you're doing'. The ad posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday wraps up with Collins saying he is going to 'put the hammer down' and 'we're going to get it done'. It ends with an American flag-inspired truck logo and the slogan: 'Georiga, Let's Ride'. That glaring misspelling of Georgia was quickly ridiculed by social media users, but it was still on Collins' campaign X account @TeamOverhaulGA as of Wednesday. 'Take it down! Quick,' wrote an X user who shared a screengrab of the 'Georiga' gaffe. Another wrote: 'Where is Georiga?' 'GEORIGA needs you!' quipped another user. Collins' campaign shared a video on Monday on YouTube, but without the botched slogan. More Trending Currently representing Georgia's 10th congressional district, Collins, 58, is challenging Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in next year's race. Collins has branded himself as an avid supporter of Trump. Collins co-owns a family trucking firm. It is not the first time that a Republican running for office has had a fumble around the Peach State. In September 2024, Trump's campaign ran ads on Facebook and Instagram targeting the swing state, that featured lush rolling hills that were actually from the Eastern European country of Georgia. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: How 8.8-magnitude earthquake and tsunamis are causing major flight disruption worldwide MORE: Boeing 787 Dreamliner narrowly avoided crash after engine failure MORE: Donald Trump 'seriously considering' a presidential pardon for Sean 'Diddy' Combs
