How a Pro-Russian Telegram Channel Monetizes the Slaughter of Ukrainians

Arkhangel Spetsnaza—a Telegram channel with nearly 1.2 million subscribers—posts “frontline reports” and soldier manuals, but its real money-maker is “exclusive” snuff videos showing real murders of Ukrainians. Subscribers pay for access to these videos and buy merchandise, raking in millions of rubles.

The channel began in September 2021, and since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has been sharing videos from the Russian Armed Forces along with very violent content. 

“The main goal is to change the worldview of not only people in Ukraine but also in all Western countries, making Russia an aggressor, a tyrant, a threat to all of Europe,” the channel wrote in April 2023.

The channel features what they claim to be Russian soldiers who never reveal their faces, known only by their call signs, adding an air of mystery that draws in followers captivated by Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine.

What is posted to the channel?

Arkhangel Spetsnaza posts a variety of footage, from frontline combat footage and the torture and killing of Ukrainians to “exclusive” Russian operations and soldier manuals.

Their content is not only physically violent—it includes psychological torture too. For example, in one video they interrogated a 16-year-old girl who, according to the channel, was sharing Russian troop movement coordinates with the Ukrainian military. In the video, she appears to speak under duress, seemingly reading a forced statement.

Their videos are often professionally filmed and edited. They have made a documentary series called “I chose life” featuring captured Ukrainian prisoners of war. This project could be in retaliation to the Ukrainian “I want to live” project, aiming to empower Russian forces to surrender to Ukrainian forces. 

The channel's videos have been advertised on some of the largest social media resources and its admins and materials received airtime on Russia’s main federal channels, IStories reported.

How much money is the channel making?

IStories calculated that during the last two months alone, Arkhangel Spetsnaza reported collecting funding and buying drones for around 30 million rubles ($317,000). One advertising post costs around 54,000 rubles (almost $600), the investigation revealed.

“War correspondents” earn money by people subscribing to the channel, where subscribers are promised "more in-depth analysis and information, advice on service, insider information, thoughts and opinions." They can pay for photos and videos of killed Ukrainian soldiers and interrogations of prisoners of war, in which "Archangels" are present. 

A monthly subscription costs 500 to 1000 rubles ($5-10). The channel has around 800 subscribers. Through subscriptions alone, the channel can bring in 800 thousand rubles per month (around $8,500).

They sell merchandise, military patches, and more on various online platforms. It’s difficult to calculate the exact amount that the channel is currently making as they rarely share reports or evidence of where donations, collections, etc have been spent. However, with what we know, it can be assumed that the channel is not short of funding. 

Evocation is an organization that aims to expose Russian forces inside Ukraine in the hopes of seeking justice and accountability for their actions during their invasion of Ukraine. They investigated “Archangels” and found that the channel has a vast fan base of women who offer sums of money for the phone numbers of channel members.

Who is behind the channel? 

A recent investigation by the Russian website IStories and UADroneForces volunteer group found that Arkhangel Spetsnaza is run by at least three key figures: a Russian Airborne Special Forces officer, the son of former Deputy Agriculture Minister Stanislav Aleinik, and someone possibly linked to a secret agent in Russia’s General Staff. In total, the investigation found that the channel is run by eight people, seven soldiers and one civilian who apparently works on the frontlines. 

Three women monitor the chat: Yulia "Flower", Olesya "Duchess", and Tatyana "Nut".

Yevgeny Zhulidov, 26 years old, call sign “Athlete”

Through Tinder, IStories were able to find someone with the same call sign, dressed in Russian military uniform and holding a Russian Airborne Forces flag. Using data leaks and Tinder they were able to find his full name. Zhulidov’s Telegram nickname is “Arno Breker” who was a sculptor best known for his work in and endorsed by Nazi Germany. 

Evocation found that Zhulidov, via his social media, “repeatedly indicated that he worships Satan, called Adolf Hitler his idol, and also published Nazi comments and pictures.” They also found that in an interview he claimed to be a part of Russia’s “Hostomel landing” near Kyiv, but no evidence of this was found. Zhulidov claims to be a key player on the frontlines, actively engaged in fighting, though again, no evidence was found. He likely pushes propaganda videos in a ruse to climb to fame. 

He has reportedly, however, called for the killings of prisoners and civilians, and published details and information about Ukrainian Mariupol defenders’ families. As the channel grew, it became a prominent Kremlin mouthpiece, pushing Russia’s propaganda. 

His mother, Zhulidova, frequently posts to the channel chat room “calling for the execution of Ukrainian military, taking no prisoners and massacring pro-Ukrainian locals in the occupied territories,” Evocation reported.

 Yevgeny Aleinik, 23 years old, call sign, “Vnuk”

IStories found that Yevgeny is the son of Stanislav Aleinik, the rector of the Belgorod State Agrarian University and former Russian Deputy Agriculture Minister. They found the father and the son in a family photo together. Using AI facial comparison they were able to identify that this is in fact the same “Vnuk” running the channel.

Nikolai Chebrov 

The investigation found that Chebrov may be related to the Eighth Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, responsible for protecting state secrets in the troops. In the metadata of this memo published on the channel the creator's name—Nikolai Chebrov—was embedded, the same name as the secret General Staff. 

Previously, Inga Kapichevskaya from Kursk was raising funds for the channel, but in September the channel reported that she had stolen around 1.5 million rubles ($15,892) in donations for restaurant trips and a laptop for her son. 

Now, money is being collected by Svetlana Sbitneva whose work is officially listed as Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Vladimir Region. 

Zhulidov responded to IStories claiming that he and Aleinik Jr., have not been administering the channel since the end of 2022. They were allegedly banned from operating by order of the unit, and the channel is now run by the Russian Airborne Forces command instead.

The channel is believed to frequently change hands, but one thing remains constant: the steady flow of funding from subscribers eager to watch the brutal killing of Ukrainians, all while fueling the Russian propaganda machine.