Known Kremlin propagandist in "extremely serious condition"
Jewgeni Poddubnyj is one of the most well-known faces of Russian propaganda. As a correspondent, he has already been to Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine. A day after the start of the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region, reports of his death cause confusion. State television denies this.
The well-known Russian propagandist Jewgeni Poddubnyj was injured in the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border. The state television company VGTRK, for which Poddubnyj works, stated on Telegram that the correspondent was injured in an attack by a Ukrainian drone and taken to the hospital. The TV channel "Zvezda", close to the Russian Ministry of Defense, wrote on Telegram that Poddubnyj is alive but "in a very serious condition".
Previously, numerous Russian media outlets had reported the death of Poddubnyj. An MP of the Russian State Duma, Mikhail Delyagin, also reported the death of Poddubnyj on Telegram, but then noted that it was not official information.
Jewgeni Poddubnyj is one of the most famous Russian "war correspondents". He is traveling as a correspondent in the war zone in Ukraine. Poddubnyj has also reported on the Caucasus War and the Syrian War in the past. In 2013, he interviewed the Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad for Russian state television. His Telegram channel has around 734,000 followers.
In Russia, Poddubnyj has received numerous state awards. In 2014, he was awarded the Order of Courage by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. In the presidential elections of 2018 and 2024, he was a member of Putin's election team.
On Tuesday, Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in the Russian region of Kursk, causing panic among the civilian population and forcing Moscow to send additional troops. Russia evacuated villages near the border as Ukrainian troops advanced in armored vehicles, according to Russian government officials. According to media reports, the fighting in the region continues. Ukraine has not yet commented on the offensive.
After the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, rumors of Poddubnyj's death caused confusion. Despite these reports, Poddubnyj was involved in an attack on Ukraine near the Kursk region.
