The propagandist who died in Kherson was a staff member of Russian special services – Ihor Solovey

Ukrinform

Russian propagandist Oleg Klokov, who died at night at a river crossing near the Antoniv bridge in Kherson, is a staff member of the Russian special services. This was announced by the head of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security Ihor Solovey.

According to him, Klokov is one of Russia's top propagandists, "and not one of those who's seen in the spotlight, but one who organizes (not anymore) processes, a puppeteer, so to speak."

"He really, as Russian propagandists write, worked for Moskva 24, Pervyi Kanal, and Russia Today. What they don't say is that Klokov is a staff member of the Russian special services," Solovey wrote.

He stressed that Klokov is no journalist and could only have appeared in Kherson by order of the military command, and added that most of the war correspondents are employees of the special services.

"And here he is in Kherson, coming there to create the propaganda TV channel Tavria' – 'voluntarily', they write. False: this is not journalism, and Klokov could only have appeared in Kherson by order of the military command. Moreover: what was he doing at the river crossing with the military at night?! Klokov's example shows clearly: the special services of the Russian Federation control the media sphere of Russia both in peacetime and even more so in wartime (most of the war correspondents are employees of the special services). Therefore, all of them should bear responsibility same as those who are running around on Ukrainian territory with a rifle/machine gun," wrote the head of the Center for Strategic Communications.

According to Solovey, Oleg Klokov studied at the Kharkiv Aviation School, then at the Military University in Moscow; served in the special forces through the first and second Chechen wars. After that, he began his career on TV; Klokov worked in Kyiv as an employee of Perviy Kanal in 2004, during the Orange Revolution.

"[He worked] as a producer (he was basically responsible for housing and financing 13 (!) filming crews of a Russian TV channel). And their task was not so much to making reports for the air, but to provide 24/7 online broadcast of the events in Kyiv (Internet livestreams were less developed back then). For this purpose, he rented rooms/apartments on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Khreschatyk, near the Verkhovna Rada, and in other important places and was 'giving the picture' to Moscow," wrote Ihor Solovey and added that while working in Kyiv, Klokov had forged documents and was known here as "Misha". Moreover, according to Solovey, Klokov tried to get a job on the "Inter" channel, "but things didn't work out."

As IMI reported, on October 20, Oleg Klokov, a Russian propagandist and former employee of the Perviy Kanal and RT, died in occupied Kherson. He was helping the occupation administration organize the work of propaganda TV channel "Tavria" in Kherson.