Former Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, who has served as Russia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to self-proclaimed Abkhazia since 2025, has announced the shutdown of his primary Telegram channel, "Nastoyashchiy Gladkov," which had over 400,000 subscribers at the time of the announcement. He shared this in a personal blog post on Saturday, November 14. According to Gladkov, he will publish all new messages on a separate channel called "Vyacheslav Gladkov," but he provided no public explanation for the decision.

Switching to a new channel

In his address to subscribers, Gladkov cited "the official duties vested in the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Abkhazia," indicating that he would continue his work on the new channel based on these obligations. The new resource had only a few thousand subscribers at the time of publication, significantly fewer than the previous one. Gladkov built the original "Nastoyashchiy Gladkov" channel while serving as governor of the Belgorod region, where he posted real-time updates on shelling and its consequences, earning him nationwide fame after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Reasons: resignation and a "new role"

Gladkov did not name direct reasons for abandoning the popular channel, but the Kommersant newspaper, citing its own sources, indicates that the Kremlin was unhappy that the former governor continued to run a channel with a large audience focused primarily on Belgorod residents. A source within the Presidential Administration previously stated that Gladkov "simply cannot understand his new role." In May 2025, media reports also suggested that the appointment as ambassador to Abkhazia was partly in Gladkov's own interest, though various career paths had been considered.

Criticizing authorities via Telegram

Gladkov had used his popular channel in recent months to criticize the authorities. In November 2026, when mobile internet was being disconnected in the Belgorod region due to drone attacks, he publicly criticized the decision. During a "Direct Line," Gladkov read out appeals from Belgorod residents demanding that Roskomnadzor be "put on trial" for the blocks. Furthermore, he repeatedly pointed out that it was impossible to organize push notifications regarding missile threats and drone attacks in the state-run messenger Max, unlike in Telegram.

Conflict with security agencies

According to sources from the outlet "Important Stories," Gladkov is in conflict with security officials from the FSB and the Ministry of Defense, and insiders even discussed the possibility of a criminal case being opened against him. Against this backdrop, the decision to close a channel with such a significant regional reach appears to be a step aimed at reducing public activity in a format previously used for direct criticism of federal structures.

Context: Gladkov's path

Vyacheslav Gladkov became widely known as the governor of the Belgorod region, a territory subjected to regular shelling and drone attacks during the conflict. His Telegram channel became one of the few sources where the regional head reported on the consequences of strikes in real time. Following his resignation as governor and appointment as ambassador to Abkhazia in 2025, his public role changed; however, according to media reports, maintaining his former level of publicity and the critical tone of his posts became a source of tension with the federal center, which likely formed the basis for the decision to switch channels.