Russia: Igor Mangushev, the creator of the Z symbol of the war on Ukraine, has died
Who was Igor Mangushev, the Russian nationalist creator of the Z symbol. The article by Giuseppe Gagliano
The leading Russian nationalist, who styled himself as the one who created the letter "Z," the symbol of Russia's campaign in Ukraine , is reported to have died after being shot on the head in an apparent assassination.
WHO IS IVOR MANGUSHEV
Igor Mangushev, 36, is a prominent figure in Russian nationalist circles. A supporter of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, he promoted the hard line and helped popularize the Kremlin's policies among young Russians.
By the late 2010s, Mangushev had spent nearly a decade in Russian ultranationalist street gangs. After founding a pro-Kremlin paramilitary group known as Svetlaya Rus (Light Rus), he was drafted by the Russian military to assist in Gray Zone operations in breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine.
THE CREATOR OF THE “Z” SYMBOL
It was in Ukraine that Mangushev's group merged with other ultranationalist armed clusters to form the so-called private military company Yenot (Raccoon), or Yenot PMC. After the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Mangushev began describing himself (without evidence) as the creator of the "Z" symbol which the Kremlin uses as a sign of support for the Russian military campaign."
Over the next few years, the Yenot PMC paramilitaries took part in several battles in Ukraine and Syria. Meanwhile, Mangushev has been working alongside Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, the alleged owner of the Wagner Group, one of the largest private military companies in the world.
There was much fanfare in Russian nationalist social media circles last year when Mangushev (using the nickname “Bereg”) announced that he had joined the Russian Armed Forces with the rank of captain. It is believed, however, that Mangushev's Russian military title was nominal and that he continued to function as leader of the Yenot PMC.
THE ANTICIPATION OF THE TELEGRAPH
On Sunday, British newspaper The Telegraph was the first Western news site to report that Mangushev was on the verge of death in a Russian military hospital after being shot in the head.
The attack apparently took place in Kadiivka, a town in the breakaway Ukrainian province of Luhansk, which the Russians refer to as Stakhanov.
According to reports from Ukraine, the attack on Mangushev involved a short-barreled weapon, possibly a 9mm pistol, which was fired "at point-blank range" at the victim. Officially, Russian government sources acknowledged that Mangushev had died in an "accident". However, Russian military commentators described the incident as “an execution attempt.
The Ukrainian government has not commented on the alleged assassination attempt, even though the story was widely circulated on Ukrainian news websites and social media platforms.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/morte-igor-mangushev/ on Thu, 09 Feb 2023 06:24:54 +0000.