There were reports on social networks that Alexey Navalny came out in support of a “special military operation” and called on his compatriots to sign up as volunteers. As evidence, a photo of an advertising poster with Navalny in military uniform is provided. We have verified the accuracy of these reports.
At the end of December 2022, non-Russian-speaking Twitter users circulated an image showing Alexei Navalny on a propaganda poster for the Russian private armed group Wagner Group. On the poster, the Russian oppositionist is presented in military uniform with a weapon, as well as with a “For Putin” patch and a St. George’s ribbon. Placed on the background sign “Russian Army”, as well as the inscription “It’s time to become a real patriot. I made a choice for the Russia of the future! Have you signed up as a volunteer? and “Navalny” (the word is positioned vertically, the letter N is stylized to resemble the letter Z).
For example, on December 25 this poster published a person under the nickname Grahworin, his tweet with the caption “Wagner is now using Navalny’s face for recruitment” (translated from English) collected more than 108,000 views. At the same time, judging by the replays and retweets, some foreign users believed that Navalny personally took part in the recruitment campaign and supported “SVO” (examples here, here, here, here And here). In addition, on the RuNet you can find a photo in which this propaganda poster with Navalny is allegedly placed as outdoor advertising (here And here).
December 21 on Navalny’s social networks appeared a post about how prisoners were recruited in the colony where he is being held. In his post, the oppositionist openly spoke out against the special operation and the recruitment of prisoners. Below are excerpts from the text.
Imagine, it turns out that Putin’s cook Prigozhin came to my colony in order to recruit prisoners into his combat detachments of Adjutant Popandopulo. An eyewitness says: “I arrived by helicopter, all the prisoners were gathered at the stadium along with the authorities. Prigozhin is short and bald. He said: “I myself have served ten years, I am calling you to become my stormtroopers. In six months I will issue a pardon to everyone, you have five minutes to think.” After that, about 80–90 people went to the headquarters (administration building) to register, and then there was a second wave of recruitment.” My point is that you and I don't yet fully understand what terrible long-term consequences all this recruitment will have.
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We will pay for this for a long time. Even if it were expedient from a military point of view, even then it would be completely unacceptable. Well, from a military point of view, this is stupidity, the usual Putin-Prigozhin corruption dregs. Putin ordered adjutant Popandopulo to create detachments of criminals, where they smash heads with sledgehammers and carry out public executions. And all this in order to shamelessly take away a piece of land from a neighboring state. The foundations of law are being destroyed in Russia for the sake of future defeat in a shameful war.
A few hours later, on social networks, the press service of the Concord company (also known as “Prigozhin's press service") appeared answer to request RBC publications comment on Navalny’s publication. Let us note that the RBC correspondent incorrectly indicated that the oppositionist was being held in IK-2 in Pokrov, since at that time he was already transferred in IK-6 maximum security in the village of Melekhovo. Below is part of Prigozhin’s comment.
I often fly by helicopter and visit different places. A huge number of Russian patriots go to fight in the ranks of the Wagner PMC. Alexei Navalny is not among them. If he expresses a desire to go to war, of course, we will be happy about it. As they say, to freedom - with a clear conscience. I’m not as big an expert on Russian law as Lyosha, but I don’t see anything reprehensible in this for two reasons. The first is that people can cleanse themselves and get a second chance in life after going through the horrors of war. Second, remember, think about it, and preferably write it down for yourself: no one can take away a person’s right to defend his Motherland, his mother and his family by all available means. I generally do not agree with the government’s policy that all “bulk-like” people were given the opportunity to flee abroad. They were obliged to collect them, form one penal battalion and hand them over to me. And have no doubt that they would all die heroes.
A couple of hours later in the Telegram channel “Wagner Orchestra | Wagner" published the above-mentioned comment by Prigozhin, and to the post that dialed more than 250,000 views, attached The propaganda poster we are interested in is Navalny. However, it is unlikely that the image was used to recruit Navalny supporters based on Prigozhin's comment. Rather, the picture was used as a humorous meme and a jab at Navalny’s supporters.
In addition, some users decidedthat the poster was created by the authors of the Wagner Orchestra channel, but in fact it appeared several months earlier. How found out Twitter user under the nickname Michael Vokabre, the author of the poster is an artist under the nickname Deler, who allowed the use of his work “without links or copyrights.” We found the earliest publication with this image on VKontakte on the user’s page Deler Art (only 49 subscribers at the time of writing this text), where is the poster posted September 26. Moreover exists and the second version of the poster, which says “For the beautiful Russia of the future.”
A few days later, Deler presented his project called “Liberation for the Northern Military District” (part 1 And part 2). “My look at scoundrels who suddenly found the strength to change and stand on the side of good. What kind of people they could become if they had a conscience. What kind of mental image did they deprive themselves of by wasting their lives on destruction,” reads the author’s caption. In addition, he explained that he initially created a poster with Navalny as a meme to “troll Navalny,” then decided to make a set of similar pictures with liberal leaders.
At the beginning of November at Deler Art appeared a post with a collection of photos of billboards that allegedly contain his posters with Navalny, Garry Kasparov, Alexei Venediktov, Lyubov Sobol, Ksenia Sobchak and Liya Akhedzhakova. The caption reads: “Attention! On all billboards in the country! They report from the ground: from Kamchatka to Kaliningrad, increasingly frightened patriots actively (forcedly, but voluntarily) joined the campaign to support the Northern Military District! Not even six months have passed.” We checked the pictures, and all of them were changed in a photo editor.
We would like to add that on September 13, 2022 on the YouTube channel “Popular Politics” came out a video in which Navalny’s team talked about prisoners recruited by the Wagner PMC from the penal colony IK-6 in the village of Melekhovo, Vladimir Region, where the oppositionist was already serving time at that time. This became the reason for the creation of many memes and jokes about the fact that Navalny himself signed up as a volunteer. For example, joked, that he received the position of operator of an unmanned aerial vehicle (other examples - here, here And here).
Cover photo: Deler Art
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