The blacklisted Z-blogger Roman Alekhin advised a Russian governor, ran a pro-war Telegram channel, and was honored by Chechen special forces. How did he wind up on the ‘foreign agents’ list?
For the second time in less than a month, the Russian authorities have slapped the “foreign agent” label — typically reserved for Moscow’s perceived “enemies” — on a staunch supporter of the war in Ukraine. The first was pro-Kremlin pundit Sergey Markov, apparently targeted for his comments in support of Azerbaijan. Now, the Justice Ministry has added pro-war blogger and activist Roman Alekhin to the registry. Alekhin recently became embroiled in a corruption scandal involving medical supplies intended for the Russian military. Meduza examines Alekhin’s rise as a prominent pro-war figure, his brief stint at the front, and the criminal charges he could now be facing.
Who is Roman Alekhin?
Before Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Roman Alekhin was a relatively obscure figure, known mainly within Russia’s Kursk region. Born in 1980 in the regional capital, he graduated from the Tula branch of the Interior Ministry University and returned home to serve briefly in the police’s economic crime division. After a year, he left law enforcement and entered the business world, selling orthopedic products.
In 2014, Alekhin was convicted of fraud and fined 430,000 rubles ($5,100) for failing to deliver prosthetic services paid for under a state-funded program. He claimed the charges were fabricated in retaliation for his refusal to participate in corruption schemes — and decided to take his fight public.
He began by creating a page on the Russian social media site VKontakte, then purchased the local online news outlet KurskTV in 2018, and later shifted his focus to Telegram. Alongside this media activity, he became involved in civic life, leading the regional branch of the Cossack Party of Russia and heading the Kursk Federation of Cossack Martial Arts.
By late February 2022, when Vladimir Putin announced the start of the “special military operation” in Ukraine, Alekhin owned a chain of orthopedic clinics and ran several Telegram channels focused on domestic politics. As a blogger and entrepreneur, he supported federal policies while criticizing regional authorities — and made no secret of his gubernatorial ambitions.
He also put out plenty of pro-war content, and soon began organizing volunteer aid shipments to the front, including food, drones, and camouflage netting. In November 2022, he became head of the pro-war volunteer group We’re Together. He came close to joining the military himself during the initial mobilization, receiving a draft notice in October 2022. However, according to him, he was officially disqualified on medical grounds.
In May 2024, after Kursk region head Roman Starovoit was appointed Russia’s transport minister, his deputy, Alexey Smirnov, took over as acting governor. In July, Smirnov invited Alekhin to serve as an unpaid advisor. By then, Alekhin had fully rebranded as a “military volunteer” and “social technologist,” having officially divested from his businesses in 2020, according to the outlet Agentstvo.
Soon after, Ukrainian forces crossed into the Kursk region, occupying parts of the territory in an extended offensive. Amid the military crisis, Alekhin emerged as a high-profile commentator, covering developments on the ground. His Telegram following exploded: from just 8,000 subscribers in January 2022 to 200,000 by the end of 2024.
Alekhin’s fall from grace
Alekhin’s media ascent coincided with the political downfall of Governor Smirnov. In December 2024 — less than four months after winning the election — Smirnov abruptly resigned, citing “personal reasons.” By April 2025, he had been arrested for allegedly taking bribes during the construction of fortifications in the Kursk region.
The new governor, Alexander Khinshtein, had little interest in retaining an advisor with a controversial past. Beyond Alekhin’s fraud conviction, questions had long swirled about his finances. Pro-war “Z” Telegram channels, for instance, reported that he had purchased a six-million-ruble ($71,600) electric vehicle — an eyebrow-raising buy for a self-styled military volunteer.
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In February 2025, Alekhin finally succeeded in joining the Russian Armed Forces, signing a contract with the Aida unit, affiliated with Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces. He had frequently praised Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov, calling him a “friend and older brother” and “the best political officer” in the Defense Ministry, and assisted the unit through his volunteer organization.
But his military career quickly unraveled. In a report by American videoblogger Patrick Lancaster, Alekhin claimed credit for organizing the logistics and supply operations behind “Operation Stream,” a mission in March 2025 in which Russian troops allegedly infiltrated Ukrainian positions by crawling through a gas pipeline. His boast sparked outrage in pro-war circles and ignited a public feud between Alaudinov and prominent propagandist Vladimir Solovyov — a longtime rival of Alekhin’s.
Just three weeks into his deployment, Alekhin’s contract was terminated by the Defense Ministry. He later called his enlistment “a mistake,” claiming he could “do more good for the people and the Motherland” as a civilian. The abrupt dismissal fueled further backlash on Z-channels, since Russian soldiers are typically barred from early discharge while Putin’s mobilization decree remains in effect. Nonetheless, for his 23 days of service, Alekhin received Akhmat’s highest honor, the “Spetsnaz Akhmat” order, and appeared to retain Alaudinov’s support, at least for a time.
That protection now appears to have vanished. On September 9, the Telegram channel 112, which is known for its ties to law enforcement, published hidden camera footage of Alekhin meeting with undercover operatives posing as representatives of a company wanting to donate to the military. In the video, Alekhin is heard explaining how to “launder” 200 million rubles ($2.4 million) earmarked for medicine for soldiers: only 150 million would be spent on actual supplies, with the remaining 50 million distributed as kickbacks.
Alekhin later claimed the video was recorded in May and that the operatives had falsely claimed ties to billionaire Sergey Galitsky. Allegedly, they proposed transferring 100 million rubles ($1.2 million) each month to Alekhin’s foundation, two-thirds of which would be used to buy medical equipment from Galitsky-affiliated firms. The remaining third would go toward the foundation’s “needs.” They suggested that the blogger himself cover the “shortfall,” to which he responded by sharing his ideas about possible schemes. At the same time, Alekhin admitted that he understood the terms sounded “not entirely legal.” He blamed a network of Telegram channels associated with Vladimir Solovyov for stirring up the scandal.
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That same day, reports emerged that law enforcement had launched a preliminary investigation into Alekhin for suspected fraud. A source in the security services told TASS that a decision on whether to open a criminal case would depend on the outcome of the review. No further procedural developments have been reported to date.
Nonetheless, on September 19, Alekhin was officially declared a “foreign agent.” The Justice Ministry said the designation stemmed from his sharing content from other “foreign agents,” spreading “disinformation” about Russian state policy, and spreading materials “aimed at creating a negative image” of Russian military personnel.
Alekhin responded by accusing Governor Khinshtein of orchestrating the pressure campaign and suggested that the sting operation had also originated from within the regional government.
Back in December 2022, less than three years before he would find himself on the “foreign agents” registry, Alekhin posted the following message for anyone worried about winding up on the list:
If you don’t behave as a foreign agent, don’t leak data, and don’t write texts commissioned by foreigners, everything will be fine.