Oksana Kobeleva, the author of the pro-war Telegram channel “Okhranota v vatnike,” published an apology on the morning of November 7 for a post in which she questioned Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov. She said the publication had “played into the enemy’s hands” and should never have been written.
“I bitterly regret and sincerely repent for writing that post with questions. It should not have been done. It was not for Russia’s benefit,” Kobeleva wrote.
Two days earlier, pro-war military bloggers had reported that Kobeleva and her husband were detained by officers from Center E. She later said those reports were “greatly exaggerated,” while Astra reported that both had been released. On November 6, the website of the Gelendzhik city court published a record showing an administrative case for allegedly discrediting the army.
The case stems from a deleted post in which Kobeleva questioned Alaudinov about the September 2024 deaths of servicemen Sergey Gritsai and Dmitry Lysakovsky, known as “Ernest” and “Gudvin.” Referring to a Defense Ministry inquiry, she asked whether criticism of that investigation amounted to accusing Andrei Belousov, Valery Gerasimov, and Viktor Goremykin of corruption.
The post spread through pro-war Telegram channels before it was deleted and triggered a harsh reaction. War correspondent Roman Saponykov urged attention to those behind such attacks, while members of the Z-community called on readers to unsubscribe and resurfaced Kobeleva’s older posts, including claims that she had donated to Alexei Navalny and 2012 statements backing an “armed uprising” and the slogan “Putin, leave.”
Alaudinov himself did not comment publicly. An Akhmat fighter using the name “Zov Aida” warned critics of consequences, while Vladimir Solovyov demanded that the posts be deleted and called Alaudinov a close friend. Ivan Filippov, speaking to Novaya Gazeta Europe, linked the conflict to struggles over pro-war volunteer fundraising and suggested Kobeleva had targeted the wrong person.