‘Nothing short of delightful’ How a corruption scandal and power struggle in the Z-blogosphere could paralyze the Russian military’s grassroots funding pipeline

In a society that no longer tolerates public criticism of the state’s military policies, why are Russia’s “Z-bloggers” allowed to publish speech that would land others behind bars? Journalist Ivan Filippov, who monitors pro-invasion Telegram channels, argues that Z-bloggers enjoy special treatment because the army relies on their fundraising efforts. “So long as they serve a purpose, they’ve been permitted this leeway,” Filippov told Meduza on September 16 in an appearance on our weekly podcast. As convenient as that arrangement seems for both sides, a recent corruption scandal involving a blogger named Roman Alekhin could undermine Z-channels’ future fundraising. Filippov speculates that the controversy might have been orchestrated by propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, who allegedly seeks to channel donations to his own charities. 

The Russian military claims to equip its soldiers with everything they need to prevail on the battlefield. In reality, the standard-issue gear is often junk, and troops rely on volunteer-provided resources to survive and perform. According to Ivan Filippov, this grassroots aid is most crucial in communication equipment, transport vehicles, and FPV drones. “That’s why these volunteers matter so much, and it’s why they publish quite a bit of sensitive footage — because that content helps attract donations,” he explained. “They’re the ones actually keeping the army going.”

On September 9, the Telegram channel 112 released a video showing Z-blogger Roman Alekhin allegedly discussing “how he planned to launder 200 million rubles” — about $2.4 million. The footage, recorded on a hidden camera and heavily edited, is punctuated by title cards with uncorroborated claims about the conversation. After the video’s release, Izvestia correspondents burst into Alekhin’s office, demanding an explanation. The state media soon reported that police had opened a preliminary investigation into his “connection with possible fraud involving aid for fighters in the Special Military Operation.”

Speaking to Meduza, Filippov described the scandal’s fallout as a disaster for the Z-blogosphere. Even before the allegations against Alekhin, activists were struggling to raise new funds amid declining public interest in a war that’s brought only incremental gains. Now, people are worried their donations might not even reach Russia’s soldiers.

In the leaked video, Alekhin speaks to representatives of a businessman he later identified as “Galitsky” — presumably referring to Sergey Galitsky, the founder of the Magnit supermarket chain, according to Mediazona. The title cards embedded in the video claim that the businessman offered to transfer 200 million rubles to Alekhin’s charity, stipulating that the foundation would use the money to buy 150 million rubles’ worth of medicine for soldiers from the same businessman’s companies. The entrepreneur would recoup most of his money, and Alekhin’s charity would get a 50-million-ruble cut — about $600,000. More nefariously, the supplier would deliberately underreport the actual amount of medicine delivered to the army.

In comments following the video’s release, Alekhin said the conversation occurred in May when Galitsky’s representatives revised their donation terms, stipulating that Alekhin’s charity would receive 100 million rubles per month, with two-thirds allocated for equipment purchases and the remaining funds “left for the front.” With each purchase, however, the blogger was told he would receive 10 percent fewer goods than the documents indicated. 

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A year ago, Alekhin served as an aide to the now-disgraced Kursk Governor Alexey Smirnov, who’s currently jailed on suspicion of embezzling roughly 1 billion rubles ($11.9 million) allocated for defensive fortifications in the region. 

Ivan Filippov told Meduza that he thinks the Smirnov connection doesn’t explain Alekhin’s scandal: “I have another theory: Alekhin was chosen because he’s the dumbest. They chose him because he’s the dumbest and most easily flattered,” Filippov said. “They needed someone with reach and name recognition, but who’d go along with a shady deal, someone who’d sit down and talk, puffing a hookah beneath a Che Guevara portrait.”

When clarifying who he means by “they,” Filippov admitted that “this is where the conspiracy theorizing begins.” He believes that state propaganda firebrand Vladimir Solovyov is likely responsible for leaking the hidden-camera footage and then covering the story on television and across numerous Telegram channels under his control. This campaign is focused on Alekhin, but the target is Russia’s entire grassroots Z-blogosphere, Filippov said:

Filippov argued that Solovyov is well-positioned to try to seize control of military fundraising efforts from grassroots bloggers. “He’s integrated into the Defense Ministry’s infrastructure in a remarkable way,” Filippov told Meduza, recalling how Solovyov publicly defended the controversial commander of Russia’s 87th Regiment, Colonel Igor Puzik. Roughly a year ago, Puzik sent two of his soldiers on a suicide mission after they accused him of involvement in drug trafficking and spying for Western intelligence. Defense Minister Andrey Belousov ordered “a prompt investigation” into the circumstances of the two soldiers’ deaths, but no results were ever reported.

“If Solovyov’s connections allow him to shield Colonel Puzik, then there is probably someone in the Defense Ministry with whom he’s able to speak on a very substantive and serious level,” Filippov told Meduza. “And what’s stopping him from just saying, ‘We’ll get rid of everyone else, but my foundation’s got this — don’t sweat it, everything’s gonna work out’?”

In an article for the news outlet Vot Tak, Filippov described this chain of events as a “win-win situation” and “nothing short of delightful” for opponents of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The best part is that it doesn’t even matter how this massive toad-viper fest ends,” he wrote, explaining that the Roman Alekhin scandal — whether it’s genuine corruption or a fabrication by Solovyov’s media empire — has already undermined Z-bloggers’ capacity to crowdfund. If Solovyov manages to capitalize on this moment by capturing donations that previously went to grassroots activists, the money will disappear into his constellation of notoriously inefficient charities.

“Sure, some of the volunteers might be skimming, maybe pocketing a bit, but they actually care,” Filippov told Meduza. “They want the Russian army to win, they write about it, they immerse themselves in the details, ask soldiers what they need, and hunt for bargains so they can send more. They care. As for Solovyov’s bunch, all they care about is showing up for the cameras and bragging about what great helpers they are.”