Andrey Vladimirovich Kurshin (Russian: Андрей Владимирович Куршин) is a Russian milblogger who ran the Moscow Calling channel on Telegram. Kurshin gained notoriety for being arrested by Russian authorities for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1]
Andrey Kurshin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andrey Vladimirovich Kurshin 12 June 1988 |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Other names | Moskva |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2015–2023 |
| Known for | Moscow Calling |
Biography
editKurshin was born on 12 June 1988.[2] He fought for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic from 2014 to 2015 under the call sign Moskva during the war in Donbas. Upon returning to Russia, Kurshin started the Moscow Calling channel to cover the Russo-Ukrainian War and notably adopting a more moderate position on the war.[3] While running Moscow Calling, Kurshin also worked as a software engineer for the firm Rif, which develops weapons-related software, and claims to have contacts in high places within the Russian military.[3]
Moscow Calling
editMoscow Calling was run by Kurshin anonymously and frequently espoused ultranationalist views and become one of the leading milbloggers criticising the supposed inadequacy and ineptitude of the Russian Ministry of Defence's planning, fighting, and leadership during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3] Kurshin would be doxxed by his fellow milbloggers as the administrator of Moscow Calling after joking about the assassination of Vladlen Tatarsky in April 2023.[4][1] Kurshin frequently posted in favour of fellow dissident ultranationalist Igor Girkin.[5] In May 2023, he claimed that pro-war activists threw a brick through the window of his mother's house.[6] At the time of his arrest Moscow Calling had 87,000 followers.[3]
Arrest and sentence
editOn 31 August 2023, shortly after Moscow Calling made a post of a video of members of the 205th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade complaining about poor uniforms and shoddy equipment, Kurshin would be arrested at a train station.[6][7] The Russian state news agency TASS reported that Kurshin was arrested for violating Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of Russia for the "dissemination of deliberately false information about the Russian Armed Forces".[8][5]
Several of Moscow Calling's post where used as evidence in court, namely, posts between 14 September and 23 November 2022, covering Russian shelling of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and a strike near a dam on the river Inhulets near Kherson. Facing ten years in prison, Kurshin plead guilty to the charges on 1 September in a hope to get a reduced sentence.[9] On 7 August 2024, Kurshin was sentenced to 6 and a half years in prison.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Lister, Tim; Chernova, Anna; Tanno, Sophie (1 September 2023). "Ultra-nationalist military blogger arrested in Moscow". CNN. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "Куршин Андрей Владимирович". memopzk.org (in Russian). Memorial. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Blogger Andrey Kurshin arrested in Moscow on suspicion of spreading 'fakes' about Russian army". Meduza. 31 August 2023. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "Propagandists blamed security officials, feminists and each other for the death of Tatarsky". Russian Free Press. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ a b Mappes, Grace; Bailey, Riley; Harward, Christina; Evans, Angelica; Clark, Mason (31 August 2023). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 31, 2023". understandingwar.org. Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Andrey Kurshin, the administrator of the Moscow Calling channel, was detained in Moscow". NewsInFrance.com. 31 August 2023. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ Morrison, Dan (1 September 2023). "Blogger Arrested in Moscow After Mocking a Video of Russian Soldiers". The Messenger. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "В Москве задержали администратора Telegram-канала Moscow Calling Андрея Куршина". TASS (in Russian). Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ Bailey, Riley; Mappes, Grace; Wolkov, Nicole; Evans, Angelica; Clark, Mason (1 September 2023). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 1, 2023". understandingwar.org. Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "Russian Blogger Gets 6 1/2 Years In Prison For Criticizing Army". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.