Mikhail Negmatov, who is described as a ‘war correspondent’ embedded with Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces unit, has been accused of unlawfully wearing an award given to Wagner private military company fighters — the Platinum Star of the PMC hero.
The issue was first noted by the Telegram channel The Wall of Shame (Doska Pozora).
According to publications, Negmatov appeared at various events with the Platinum Star pinned to his clothing, wearing it in a manner similar to the Hero of Russia star, as well as with a medal resembling the so-called Wagner Trench Cross.
The Telegram channel Doska Pozora has also stated that the award was granted exclusively for military merits and that the list of recipients was publicly available, and that Negmatov was not on the list.
‘Another “starfall”. The Platinum Star of a Wagner hero has appeared on the chest of Mikhail Negmatov — a blogger, volunteer, and enthusiast of photo sessions with political figures and military commanders’, the channel wrote.
Information about Negmatov’s alleged fake medal became widely known after a publication by Yevgeny Golman, a Russian fighter and president of the Dobrynya Foundation, who called on event organisers to ‘pay closer attention’ to invited guests and to vet them beforehand.
Golman said that it was impossible to check all participants in events, but urged vigilance and attention to the awards worn by invitees — Negmatov had published photographs, including with members of Russia’s Parliament.
The next day, Golman deleted both the video and the repost from the Wall of Shame without explanation.
Later, former Wagner PMC member Igor Krupkin said that the award had been deservedly granted for assistance to the group. He claimed that Negmatov had supplied the group with humanitarian aid and had once saved one of its fighters.
Krupkin also said that he personally decided to award Negmatov with the medal after the death of the company’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. In support of his claims, he showed a certificate from November 2022 concerning an injury that led to his withdrawal from participation in the invasion of Ukraine, as well as a document he described as certificate No. 27 conferring upon Negmatov the title of ‘PMC hero’.
After that, the Telegram channel White Uncles in Africa, citing Wagner’s personnel service, stated that Krupkin had allegedly served in the company for about two weeks, left after receiving a concussion, and did not have the authority to issue awards. The publications also state that the award sheet and the box for the Platinum Star presented by him differ significantly from official Wagner documents, which, according to the channel’s authors, indicates falsification.
At the time of publication, Negmatov had not publicly commented on the accusations. The head of the Akhmat special forces unit, Apti Alaudinov, had also issued no statements on the matter.
On 26 January, Negmatov reported receiving the departmental award For Assistance, which was presented to him by the head of the Rosgvardiya (Russian Guard) in Chechnya, Sharip Delimkhanov. In a letter of gratitude from the Chechen Ministry of Culture, Negmatov was described as a war correspondent of the Akhmat special forces unit.
Negmatov is also mentioned in the media as a member of the team that approved polygamy in the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation.
Earlier, a member of the Civic Chamber of Russia, Yekaterina Kolotovkina, said she encountered three ‘fake Heroes of Russia’ at a petrol station in the Rostov region, claiming they were travelling without number plates.
Yevgeny Rasskazov, a pro-war blogger and author of the Telegram channel Govorit TopaZ, reported that the man with the largest number of awards and three stars was Aikaz Karamanian from Sochi, who had served several contracts with the Akhmat unit, while another man was a Cossack from Adler, Sergei Ivankov. Rasskazov did not disclose in his Telegram channel who the third ‘hero’ was.
