Russia's war bloggers hold potential spark of further unrest

Traffic to accounts critical of government missteps swells after Prigozhin revolt

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Russian military blogger Igor Girkin, who supports the Ukraine invasion but has criticized Putin's government, was arrested in July. © Reuters

YUICHIRO KANEMATSU, TORU TSUNASHIMA, SHOTA FUJII and KENTO AWASHIMA, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Interest in military-focused Russian bloggers critical of the government and how it has waged the war in Ukraine has skyrocketed, creating headaches for Moscow and its efforts to keep public opinion under control.

The late Wagner mercenary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin used Telegram strategically to try to sway the public to his side during his June revolt. His posts were amplified by popular military bloggers, or "milbloggers," who play a role in disseminating information that the government and mainstream television do not report in a country with a tight state grip on the media.

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