Several Russian websites with unofficial election advertising for mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin were blocked after his army’s Wagner uprising ended. In recent days, authorities have blocked several pages that present Prigozhin as Russia’s protector in view of the 2024 presidential elections, the independent internet freedom organization Roskomsvoboda announced today. It was unclear who launched the sites.
Apparently, Wagner’s mercenaries wanted to honor their boss with the announcement. In the past, Prigozhin has always emphasized that he has no political ambitions. The US Institute for War Studies (ISW), on the other hand, pointed out in March that Wagner’s boss could use his influence to run in the 2024 presidential election. years, will likely run again in the poll in March.
“Shoot straight, work honestly”
“Be ready to support Prigozhin to save Russia,” he said on the websites, which are no longer accessible in Russia. The mercenary chief was portrayed as the “new leader of the new Russia”. With ultra-nationalist rhetoric and the slogan “shoot straight, work honestly”, the unknown authors announced their fight against the old system.
Authorities recently blocked several pages with content about Prigozhin after he fell out of favor with the Kremlin. Prigozhin’s candidacy is now considered unlikely anyway. Since the uprising of Wagner’s army, he is said to be in neighboring Belarus.
Brief Wagner Revolt in Russia
A week ago, on Saturday, Wagner’s boss Prigozhin occupied the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don during an uprising against Russian military leadership and marched his fighters towards Moscow. He surprisingly gave up about 200 kilometers from the Russian capital. Putin promised Prigozhin and his mercenaries immunity in exchange for their surrender.
The independent Russian polling institute Levada found in a poll that Prigozhin’s popularity among the population has dropped sharply since the uprising.