As reported on 1 April 2023, Serafim Romanov, a journalist at Rotonda, a Saint Petersburg-based online media, said he received anonymous threats online, publicly as well as through private channels, after publishing an article on Kseniya Parfenova, the former editor-in-chief of Poltika Segodnya, a media outlet reportedly affiliated with Yevgeni Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian private military company Wagner.
Romanov’s article detailed the story of Parfenova, who had worked for several years with Politika Segodnya before becoming the outlet’s editor-in-chief. In early 2023, Parfenova resigned from this position and moved to Spain on a study visa, wrote Romanov. The journalist said he contacted her for a comment on the story, but Parfenova refused, claiming that she had “taken a break” from speaking with media.
Following the publication of the article, Romanov received anonymous threats. His conversation with Parfenova on an instant messaging app was also published by internet groups allegedly affiliated with Prigozhin. Moreover, threats and insults directed at Romanov were published in comments to social media posts by Rotonda. The media outlet speculated that these comments were created by employees of Yevgeni Prigozhin’s reported “troll factory”, an organization where, according to media reports, employees are tasked with writing comments on various online platforms to promote Wagner and Prigozhin, as well to discredit their opponents.