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A former FSB member exposes the ugliness of Russia’s war in Ukraine that made Moscow officials disgruntled with President Vladimir Putin. Photo/via NDTV
Almost 10 months after Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine, there is no end in sight for Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.
In modern Russia, however, direct public criticism of Putin is rare bloggers Nationalists have been vocal about the conduct of the war, especially Russia’s costly defeat in the Kharkiv region in September.
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Igor Girkin, who helped Russia annex Crimea in 2014 and later organized pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine, said there was some discontent with military and government officials.
In a 90-minute video analyzing Russia’s conduct of the war, Girkin says “the fish head is really rotten” comparing what happened inside the Russian military. According to him, his country’s army needs reforms and the hiring of competent people who can conduct successful military campaigns.
Some mid-level servicemen, Girkin said, were open about their dissatisfaction with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and even President Putin.
“It’s not just me… people are not blind and deaf at all: there middle-level people don’t even hide their opinions which, like, don’t fully praise the president or the secretary of defense,” Girkin said , as quoted by ReutersMonday (12/12/2022).
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The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on statements by Girkin who had repeatedly criticized Shoigu, a close ally of Putin, for the battlefield losses suffered by Russia during the war.
