Gazeta.ru Called Soviet Soldier Aleksei Kovalev, Who Raised the Victory Banner Over the Reichstag, a ‘Foreign Agent.’ He Was Confused With a Former Meduza Editor

Gazeta.ru called Soviet soldier Aleksei Kovalev, who raised the Victory Banner over the Reichstag, a “foreign agent.” He was confused with a former Meduza editor

A note under the headline “Banner Over the Reichstag: Who Raised the Red Flag,” published on Gazeta.ru’s website on May 1, 2020, said:

In the famous photograph by war correspondent Yevgeny Khaldei, however, it is not Berest, Yegorov, and Kantaria who are depicted, but soldiers of the 8th Guards Army: Aleksei Kovalev (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent), Abdulkhakim Ismailov, and Leonid Gorychev.

At some point, Gazeta.ru’s authors removed the note “recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent,” and it is no longer in the current version of the page. However, the mention of a “foreign agent” is available in the web archive, including in the version of the article dated May 12, 2026.

As Verstka suggests, “foreign agent” labels appear automatically on Gazeta.ru’s website when a particular person is added to the relevant registry. In the outlet’s view, the “foreign agent” label next to the Soviet soldier’s name may have appeared because his namesake, former Meduza editor Aleksei Kovalev, was declared a “foreign agent” on December 27, 2024.

Journalist Aleksei Kovalev briefly commented on what happened to Meduza: “Aaaaaa.”

@meduzalive