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Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for Russia's Defense Ministry, has missed his daily front line video updates for five consecutive days, raising questions about his whereabouts.
The Defense Ministry typically holds briefings daily led by Konashenkov, 57, who outlines the progress of what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. He has been described by Russian media as "the face of the special military operation."
According to Agentstvo, an investigative site launched in 2021, the last video featuring the spokesman was published on the Defense Ministry's Telegram channel on September 1. Since then, only text format updates on the war have been published.
No reason has been given for Konashenkov's absence.
The publication noted that Konashenkov was previously absent for four consecutive days, and this marks the longest time he has failed to deliver a briefing on the war.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense via email for comment.
According to local news outlet 116.ru, Konashenkov has been head of the Defense Ministry's Department of Information and Mass Communications since 2017, and in June 2022, he was awarded the military rank of lieutenant general by presidential decree.
Agentstvo notes that Konashenkov even delivered a briefing on June 24, when the late Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against the Kremlin's top brass, demanding the resignations of Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, President Vladimir Putin's top general.
Konashenkov has been sanctioned by the European Union and Ukraine. Ukraine said he was responsible "for manipulating information and spreading disinformation about Russian military actions in Ukraine."
"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," it said.
"Therefore, he is responsible for actively supporting or implementing actions or policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."
This week, Agentstvo also noted that Putin abruptly stopped detailing Ukraine's losses in its counteroffensive, now in its fourth month. The outlet reported that during a press conference, Putin gave a one-sentence answer about Kyiv's counteroffensive where previously he went into detail of Ukrainian troop and equipment losses.
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About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more