“On the Verge of Defeat”
Russian ultranationalist goes straight to Putin
01/11/2023 10:29 am
Russian nationalists take a gloomy view of the war situation. Military blogger Girkin writes that taking small towns doesn’t change that either. He calls for not only “untalented generals and selfish officials” to be held accountable – but also for the commander-in-chief.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin is no longer above criticism, even in nationalist circles. Igor Girkin, a former commander of Russian fighters in Donbass and a prominent military blogger, has hinted that he would support Putin’s impeachment.
“Russia is on the brink of military defeat, and even the capture of small towns and villages does not change this situation. Not only untalented generals and selfish officials should be held accountable, but also the commander-in-chief who appointed them and who stubbornly refuses to change them,” writes the ardent nationalist Telegram.
On Tuesday it was announced that Russian General Alexander Lapin, who had been criticized for several defeats in the Ukraine war, had been appointed Chief of Staff of the Army Troops. Lapin commanded Army Group “Center” of the Russian troops in the Ukraine until October, but was then replaced after some strong criticism from home.
Girkin, who has almost 790,000 followers on Telegram, limits his demand somewhat: “I am against a change in commander-in-chief in times of war,” he writes. At the same time, the former head of the secret service emphasizes the need for criticism – which, however, has been punished more and more repressively in Russia since the beginning of the war: “The absence of criticism will not prevent or even delay the catastrophe,” says Girkin. “If my criticism becomes suicidal to me but is noticed and at least elicits a proper response, I will consider my duty done. Because I can’t do it ‘any other way’.”
“Head of the Fish” has rotted
Girkin has repeatedly expressed strong criticism of the warfare in Ukraine in the past. The “head of the fish was completely rotted,” Girkin said in December. According to the nationalist, people are by no means blind and deaf. “Mid-level people don’t even hide their views, which are, how shall I put it, unflattering to the president or the secretary of defense,” Girkin said in the video.
An international search is underway for Girkin, who was once the “defense minister” of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic.” He is charged with shooting down the Malaysia Airlines flight over Ukraine in July 2014. All 298 inmates died, including 80 children. Ukraine has put a huge bounty on his head.
The US think tank Institute for the Study of War evaluates Girkin’s criticism as a sign that growing frustration at the state of the war has reached a boiling point for some military bloggers, prompting them to scale back their self-censorship.