...
By John Feng and Brendan Cole
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Russian military bloggers who reported Ukraine's advances in the Kursk region have faced a crackdown from Moscow's authorities, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.
The Washington, D.C., think tank said authorities want to control the messaging around President Vladimir Putin's forces amid concerns over how the Russian territory seized by Kyiv could be used as a bargaining chip to end the war.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Read More on World
...
Why It Matters
Russian state media's reporting of the war against Ukraine is tightly controlled, but milbloggers who back the Kremlin's war aims offer a much less varnished point of view, frequently criticizing Russian command.
This has posed a problem for the Kremlin, which does not want to be seen clamping down on those who are essentially patriots but may be uneasy with warts-and-all accounts of Russian battlefield setbacks.
The Russian military appears to want to control reporting about what is happening in Kursk, where Kyiv has made recent gains that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants as leverage.
What To Know
Fighting has continued in the Ukrainian salient in the Kursk region, where Kyiv staged an incursion in August. After making swift advances that include seizing the city of Sudzha, Ukraine has endured a fight from Russia, with the help of North Korean troops, in which the seized territory has been recaptured.
However, Zelensky said Ukraine had made gains in the Russian region, a claim that was backed by Russian milbloggers. These milbloggers, who have reported Ukrainian advances southeast of Sudzha, said this week that they were being targeted by military command, who were calling for them to be charged with discrediting the army.
...
The ISW said Russian officials were likely acting in response to concerns that the West would pressure Russia into trading Russian territory for occupied Ukrainian territory.
It added that Russia's military wanted to control reporting about the situation in Kursk Oblast because Zelensky intended to leverage Russian territory in peace negotiations, a point the Ukrainian leader made during a recent interview with The Guardian.
Following Zelensky's comments, Jeremy Pizzi, a legal adviser in Kyiv with Global Rights Compliance, a human rights group helping Kyiv document Russian war crimes, said any ceasefire must include guarantees to Ukraine that safeguard an end to the invasion on its own terms.
In what appears to be another clampdown on dissent, Russia's parliament voted to remove MP and retired Lieutenant General Andrey Gurulyov from the parliamentary defense committee.
Kommersant reported that the decision about Gurulyov—a mainstay of Russian TV, where he threatens the West—was partly because he posted an audio message in 2023 of Russian General Ivan Popov discussing the dire situation on the front line. Popov was later arrested.
What People Are Saying
The ISW wrote in a Russian offensive campaign assessment published on February 11: "The Russian military appears increasingly anxious to consolidate control over reporting about the situation in Kursk Oblast as Zelensky continues to express his intent to leverage Russian territory in future peace negotiations."
Jeremy Pizzi, a legal adviser with the Global Rights Compliance, told Newsweek: "Guarantees must be given to Ukraine that safeguard an end to the invasion on their own terms. Given that Russia has violated international law's prohibition of aggression, any treaty or peace deal that cedes Ukrainian land to Russia will itself violate international law and be void."
What Happens Next
Zelensky's comments suggest that fighting to hang on to territory in Kursk remains a priority as diplomatic moves continue over whether negotiations between Russia and Ukraine can take place, with the Trump administration likely a key broker.
Update 2/13/25, 4:03 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to clarify Jeremy Pizzi's comment that Russia has violated international law's prohibition of aggression.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines