War propagandists bring imperial flag from occupied Ukraine to remotest Arctic archipelago
Two representatives of the ultra-conservative TV channel Spas brought a flag depicting emperor Nicholas II from the occupied Ukrainian city of Vuhledar to the archipelago of Severnaya Zemlya.
"Just think about the journey this standard has taken," said Andrei Afanasev, the war propagandist of Spas, as he waved the flag at the remote Arctic island. According to this man, who over the past 3,5 years of full-scale war has been on occupied land numerous times, the flag was first sent to Vuhledar where it waved as Russian forces secured control over the city in late 2024.
It took almost two years for Moscow to conquer the city. Several thousand men are believed to have been killed. The coal mining city that used to have a population of 15,000 was completely destroyed in the onslaught.
The imperial flag was subsequently brought to Yekaterinburg where it was on display at a nationalistic rally, and then to the far northern Severnaya Zemlya.
"This banner has become a true sacred object, connecting the past, present and future," Afanasev said.
Andrei Afanasev travelled together with his colleague, general director of Spas Boris Korchevnikov. The two men first flew to Khatanga on the northern Taymyr Peninsula and then made it to Severnaya Zemlya by helicopter.
The propaganda expedition, which took place in early August 2025, was part of a campaign to rename the far northern islands. Currently, they have names from the Communist era. The biggest islands in the archipelago are named Bolshevik Island, October Revolution Island and Komsomol Island.
Afanasev and Korchevnikov want the biggest island to be renamed Nicholas II Land, while one of the other islands is to become Tsarevich Aleksei Land.
The expedition was sponsored by Nornickel and Sezar-Arktika, two companies that extract natural resources in the region. Spas published a video report about the journey.
The far northern islands were reportedly discovered by the Russian explorer Boris Vilkitsky in 1913. According to Afanasev and Korchevnikov, the archipelago was the "last major geographical discovery on the planet."
"It was discovered by Russians. It was discovered by Nicholas II and the expedition he sent to open up the Northern Sea Route," Boris Korchevnikov says in a comment.
The propagandists argue that Russians have been 'lied to' about their country's pre-1917 history.
"In a sense, here, in the Russian Arctic discovered by Nicholas II and annexed by him to Russia, the culmination of our project on the incredible pre-revolutionary achievements and breakthroughs of our country took place. About Russia, which has been slandered," they said.
"We are doing our best to restore the truth about that country, to restore its rightful names, given to it by our fathers and grandfathers," they added.
34-year-old Andrei Afanasev studied at the Moscow State University of international relations (MGIMO) and for several years worked for propaganda media RT and Tsargrad. On his Telegram channel Afanasev Z he spouts anti-Ukrainian, anti-western hate materials.
Interestingly, he also has an English-language account on X where he publishes nationalistic materials for international audiences.
43-year-old Boris Korchevnikov has a background in theatre, the media and television. He regularly participates in the propaganda show Solovyov Live. He is on the EU's sanctions list because of his flagrant propaganda activities.
Afanasev and Korchevnikov take a part of their ideological heritage from the Black Hundreds and the Union of the Russian People, the early 20th century movements that represented extreme reactionary, monarchist and ultra-nationalist positions.
