1 Institute for the Study of War & AEI’s Critical Threats Project 2022
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment,
November 20
Kateryna Stepanenko, Frederick W. Kagan, and Grace Mappes
November 20, 9:15 ET
Click here to see ISW’s interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This
map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.
ISW is publishing an abbreviated campaign update today, November 20. This
report discusses the rising influence of the milblogger (military correspondent
or voenkor) community in Russia despite its increasingly critical commentary
on the conduct of the war. The milblogger community reportedly consists of over
500 independent authors and has emerged as an authoritative voice on the
Russian war.
The community maintains a heavily pro-war and Russian
nationalist outlook and is intertwined with prominent Russian nationalist
ideologists. Milbloggers’ close relationships with armed forces – whether
Russian Armed Forces, Chechen special units, Wagner Group mercenaries, or
proxy formations – have given this community an authoritative voice arguably
louder in the Russian information space than the Russian Ministry of Defense
(MoD). Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended the milbloggers from
MoD attacks and protected their independence even as he increases oppression
and censorship throughout Russia.
The Kremlin has allowed the ever-growing informal milblogger community to
gain a quasi-official but independent position despite otherwise increasing
domestic repression and censorship. The Kremlin has historically promulgated its state
narrative via Russian federal outlets, TV, and print media, but has allowed the highly
individualistic and often critical milblogger community to put forth its own narratives
regarding this war. The milblogger community is composed of a wide range of characters
ranging from those who support the Kremlin while criticizing the Russian military command
to some who have directly blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia’s consistent
military failures in Ukraine. That the Kremlin tolerates the miblogger community is
astonishing given its censorship of other more traditional outlets including opposition and
foreign media.
Russian milbloggers are not merely cheerleaders for the war – they are emerging
as a group with a distinct voice within Russia. Milbloggers offer a highly informal
platform that differs dramatically from the Russian MoD’s structured presentation of the war.
Milbloggers largely publish self-authored content on Russian social media platforms such as
Telegram, VK, and RuTube in a casual and approachable manner. Most prominent
milbloggers either operate on the frontlines or have sources within Russian military
structures, which allows them to form assessments based on first-hand accounts independent
of MoD information and censorship.
The milbloggers are not fully separate from the Russian government, however.
Russian investigative outlet The Bell, for example, uncovered that the creator of one of the
most influential Russian Telegram channels, Rybar, is a former employee of the Russian
MoD’s press service.
