According to the news outlet 116.ru, Igor Konashenkov has been the head of the Defense Ministry’s Department of Information and Mass Communications since 2017. In June 2022, he was granted the rank of lieutenant general by presidential decree.
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The Defense Ministry usually gives daily briefings on Russia’s progress in its war against Ukraine. These are done in a video format, so Konashenkov has been dubbed by Russian media as ‘the face of the special military operation’. However, these videos have suddenly stopped, and people are beginning to ask questions about the lieutenant general’s whereabouts.
How long has Konashenkov been missing?
The 57-year-old army spokesman last featured in a video that was published on the Defense Ministry’s Telegram channel on 1 September. Since then, only text updates have been posted, according to the investigative site Agentstvo.
The general has reportedly fallen off the radar before, but the longest period he has previously been absent lasted only 4 days. This time around, it has already been 6 days and no reason has been given for this sudden rupture in his regular updates.
He even managed to give a briefing on 24 June during the Wagner uprising, when Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin attempted a military coup. Now, Prigozhin is suspected to have been assassinated and buried, though there are still rumours about whether or not he is really dead.
Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for Russia's Defense Ministry, has missed his daily front-line video updates for five consecutive days. https://t.co/tqnW1wRTiN
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) September 7, 2023
Konashenkov sanctioned by the EU
This is far from the first time Konashenkov has made headlines, but it is usually because of what he is doing, and not what he isn’t. The general has been sanctioned by the European Union and Ukraine as he is accused of having manipulated information and spread false information about the Russian military's actions in the war. Ukraine said:
He promoted a positive attitude to the Russian unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea and the actions of separatists in Donbas, portrayed the situation in Ukraine in a biased manner and spread disinformation about Ukrainian and Western activities
Read more:
⋙ Vladimir Putin propagandist issues chilling threat to the US on national TV, here's what he said
⋙ Vladimir Putin: Was the Russian leader at the Wagner chief's funeral? Viral video spreads fake news
Sources used:
Newsweek: Putin Army Frontman's Disappearance Raises Questions
NDTV: "Ukrainian Blood On Hands": UK Sanctions Russian Army Chiefs, Others
