Akim Apachev
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (September 2024) |
Akim Apachev | |
|---|---|
 Akim Apachev at a concert in 2024. | |
| Born | Akim Gasanov April 4, 1985 |
| Citizenship | Russian |
| Occupation(s) | Pro-Russian rapper, propagandist, and journalist |
| Notable work | |
| Website | https://vk.com/akimapachev |
Akim Apachev (Russian: Аким Апачев; April 4, 1985) is a Russian rap artist and propagandist. He gained global popularity after his release of the song "Лето и Арбалеты" (Summer and Crossbows), a song about the Wagner Group and its activities in Ukraine, Libya, and Syria.
Early life
[edit]Akim Apachev was born Akim Gasanov on April 4, 1985, in Zhdanov (now Mariupol), Ukrainian SSR.[1] His father was an Azerbaijani immigrant named Volodymyr Gasanov.
Family life
[edit]Akim Apachev does not advertise whether or not he has a wife or children. Very little is known about Apachev's personal life outside of what he posts on VKontakte.[1]
Career
[edit]Akim Gasonov changed his stage name to Akim Apachev in the early 2010s. The name is likely a reference to the American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, as his Instagram username is Akim_Apache, and it fits with his military persona.
Akim Apachev is believed to have served with the Russian Armed Forces in Syria for a short period of time.[2]
Apachev's career began in Ukraine as a cameraman and director of short clips and music videos.
In 2014, after the Russian annexation of Crimea, Apachev began working as a reporter in southeastern Ukraine with the pro-Russian news agency ANNA News.[3] Apachev was also ANNA's military correspondent in the Middle East for a short time.[3]
In May 2022, shortly after the end of the Siege of Mariupol, Akim Apachev, along with fellow Russian singer Daria Frey, sang "A Duckling Swims in the Tisza" inside the ruins of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, Ukraine. The video was released by Russian TV channel RT.[4][5]
In 2023, Akim Apachev founded the Russian military music radio station "Arbalet FM," which operates out of Donetsk, Ukraine.[1]
Political views
[edit]In a 2022 interview with the Russian state media website Ukraina.ru, Akim Apachev repeated common anti-Ukrainian conspiracy theories, telling interviewers "I think that we must first get away from ourselves inside, at home, at home, in our workplace... on our street, and then move on to this more important clash - ideological - with the new Ukrainian terrorist state."
In a 2023 interview with Anton Krasovsky, Apachev said "We must kill all those who carry Ukrainian idea," and advocated for the extermination of 10% of the Ukrainian population.[6]
Akim Apachev has repeatedly expressed contradictory views on issues relating to Ukraine and Donbas. During a 2024 interview with Russian journalist Ksenia Sobchak, Apachev said, referencing his childhood as a Russian speaker in Ukraine, that "There were never any language problems. I spoke both Ukrainian and Russian perfectly. ... There was never anything," while discussing the supposed persecution of Russian speakers in Ukraine. In response, Sobchak told him "You do realize that the main thesis of Russian propaganda is that 'we are going to liberate them because they ban the Russian language'. You are now refuting this thesis." Apachev responded to this by stating "After 2014, of course, they began to squeeze out the Russian language. But before that, in the East, we did not have this. The east has always been Russian."[7]
Music use in psychological operations
[edit]During the 2022 Siege of Mariupol, there were unconfirmed reports of Russian soldiers, specifically Wagner mercenaries, using vehicle-mounted speakers to play Akim Apachev's song "Лето и Арбалеты" in the direction of Ukrainian positions. This was most likely a psychological warfare strategy, meant to demoralize besieged Ukrainian troops as well as deny them sleep.[8]
Controversy and content removal
[edit]In late 2022, in the wake of the initial Russian invasion of Ukraine, Akim Apachev's YouTube and TikTok accounts were disabled as part of a wave of pro-Russian account deletions and suspensions by the two platforms.[9][10] The deletions only occurred after Google and ByteDance were contacted by reporters from The Sunday Times, who identified several accounts and videos that violated both platforms' terms of service.[10]
According to a YouTube spokesperson, Akim Apachev's music videos could be classified as "content intended to praise, promote, or aid violent extremist or criminal organisations..."[10] because they often advocated the donation of money and weapons to the Wagner Group, along with glorifying the group's actions and encouraging recruitment.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c biogrkryt (2022-10-25). "Аким Апачев – биография, фото, личная жизнь, песни, сейчас". Biogr (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ "Аким Апачев: биография, творчество и песни донецкого рэпера". mensnow.ru. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ a b "Русский Ближний Восток. Надана Фридрихсон и Аким Апачев". anna-news.info (in Russian). 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Окупанти заспівали "Пливе кача" українською. Її потрібно заблокувати прямо зараз!". РБК-Украина (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Цинізм зашкалює: пропагандисти зняли на руїнах Азовсталі україномовний кліп на пісню "Пливе кача"". glavred.net (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ ""'We must kill all those who carry Ukrainian idea' - Russia talks about elimination of 2 million Ukrainians. Video"". censor.net. December 5, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Akim Apachev, a native of Mariupol, refuted the main myth of Russian propaganda in an interview with Sobchak, but "attacked" western Ukraine". Obozrevatel. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Russian Army PsyOps units". Militarnyi. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
- ^ a b "YouTube blocks russian propaganda music video for hate speech". imi.org.ua. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
- ^ a b c Clover, Caroline Wheeler and Jack (2023-04-15). "YouTube hosted Wagner group's rap songs". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-10-01.