Vladimir Putin goes after his own war cheerleaders amid growing dissent among ‘Z bloggers’

He was a poster boy for so-called Z-bloggers, self-styled social media war correspondents unflinchingly loyal to the ideology behind Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Then, the Russian state designated him a “foreign agent”.

The spectacle of Mr Alekhin’s dramatic rise and fall has spread fear among the online community that for nearly four years has apparently been allowed to critique and criticise the way the war is being fought.

While anti-war activists were jailed in their thousands, a growing movement of ultranationalist military bloggers (or ‘milbloggers’) appeared to be rewarded with money, status and influence.

But Russia watchers have long warned that the Kremlin’s tolerance of them would run out – that time might be now.

Keir Giles, a senior Russia analyst at UK-based thi