A Russian propagandist, Anna Prokofieva, has been killed while carrying out a task in the Belgorod region. Reports indicate that she died after triggering a landmine, while her cameraman, Dmitry Volkov, suffered severe injuries and is now in critical condition.
On March 26, Russian media outlets confirmed that Prokofieva, a military correspondent for “Pervyi Kanal”, lost her life while on duty. The incident occurred when the television crew encountered an explosive device. As a result of the blast, Prokofieva was killed instantly, and Volkov sustained grave injuries. He was rushed to a local hospital before being placed on a ventilator. Medical specialists have been called in to determine whether he should be transported to Moscow for further treatment.
Prokofieva, aged 35, studied journalism at the Russian University of Peoples’ Friendship and previously worked for the Spanish division of “Russia Today”. She joined “Pervyi Kanal” in 2023 and had been actively reporting from the frontlines. The channel also confirmed that she was involved in delivering humanitarian aid to Russian forces in occupied Ukrainian territories. She had repeatedly requested to be stationed near the combat zones to provide what she described as “truthful” reporting on Russian military operations.
While the official narrative suggests she died due to a mine explosion, other sources propose different scenarios. Some reports claim she may have been killed by a Ukrainian drone strike, while others suggest that she might have been deliberately eliminated by Russian forces. There have been historical precedents of Russian military personnel eliminating journalists in war zones, particularly in Chechnya, to cover up looting and other criminal activities. Speculation has arisen that Prokofieva may have inadvertently captured footage of Russian troops stealing from abandoned homes in the Belgorod border area.
Prokofieva was a vocal supporter of Russia’s war against Ukraine. She publicly endorsed the so-called “special military operation”, echoing the Kremlin’s justifications for the invasion. On February 27, 2022, just three days after Russia’s full-scale assault on Ukraine, she posted an aggressive statement on social media. In it, she dismissed any discussion of Russia’s role in the war and declared unwavering loyalty to the Russian military. She warned that she did not care about criticism, describing herself as a patriot who would stand with Russian forces “until the end”.
Her pro-war stance was evident across her online platforms. She branded Mariupol, Chernihiv, Berdyansk, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Odesa as “historically Russian cities”. She regularly referred to Ukrainian soldiers as “militants” and accused Western nations of sending mercenaries to fight against Russia. Her last social media post, made on March 25, was cryptically signed, “Somewhere on the border with country 404…”, using a derogatory term that Russian propagandists employ when referring to Ukraine.
The reaction to her death has been mixed. While Russian state media mourns her as a journalist who “bravely covered” the war, others point to her role in spreading misinformation and inciting violence against Ukraine. Her death highlights the dangers faced even by those who actively serve the Kremlin’s interests. In war zones where the truth is often manipulated, the fate of those who seek to promote propaganda is sometimes as uncertain as that of the soldiers they glorify.
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