Putin’s criticism grows louder

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Nearly a year after the start of the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing a growing chorus of criticism over his handling of the conflict.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in an assessment published Wednesday, drew attention to the fact that key Russian figures, including Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, and former Russian commander Igor Ivanovich Strelkov, also known as Igor Girkin, are increasingly expressing their displeasure with the Russian leader.

Prigozhin, who founded the paramilitary group that provides soldiers for hire, and other notable voices in Russia are “carving out new space to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin without fear of reprisal,” the ISW said.

In this combined image, Vladimir Putin photographed in Moscow in January 2023, a file photo of Yevgeny Prigozhin, 2016 and an inset photo of Igor Strelkov, also known as Igor Girkin. People criticize the leader more openly. Getty

Prigozhin and other notable Russian nationalists such as Girkin, a former militant Russian commander and prominent critical voice, have “opened up a new sector in the Russian information space where certain personalities can criticize Putin and the highest echelons of the Russian government without any apparent retribution,” the think tank observed.

The ISW referred to a statement posted on Telegram by Girkin on January 10, in which he strongly implied that he would support Putin’s removal from power.

It marked “his most direct criticism of Putin to date,” the think tank said, noting that Putin had so far not decided to censor such voices.

Girkin, who has been a regular critic of Russia’s war effort, took to Telegram again late on Wednesday, saying Russia needed to build up several armies and do a massive retraining of its troops as soon as possible to avoid an almost inevitable defeat.

The military blogger said he believed General Valery Gerasimov and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu were both unable to “fulfill the duties assumed”.

The ISW said Prigozhin was also becoming “increasingly bold in his verbal attacks on the Russian Defense Ministry”.

Although Prigozhin is an ally of Putin, he regularly criticizes the Kremlin and especially defense officials for setbacks in Ukraine. He made headlines in the fall of 2022 for his criticism of the Defense Ministry and Shoigu.

Prigozhin recently questioned the Defense Ministry’s latest guidelines for soldiers after officials issued executive orders to Russian troops that “restrict the use of certain personal electronic devices in combat zones.”

Prigozhin is seeking to “undermine confidence” in Putin’s defense ministry and cast himself as the face of the offensive in Ukraine, the ISW said.

Television Experts

Russian state television pundits have also been openly critical of Putin’s war in Ukraine, with journalist and commentator Maxim Yusin questioning the official Kremlin line that the conflict is “going as planned”.

During an appearance on Pravo Znat (Right to Know) this month, Yusin compared Putin’s stated goals to invade Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with the current situation on the front lines.

To justify his decision to invade Ukraine nearly a year ago, Putin said his forces sought to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the country.

“In the opinion of many, the Ukrainian army is now more combat-ready than 10 months ago,” having received “Western weapons they hadn’t even dreamed of,” Yusin said, adding: “Obviously it’s not working yet with demilitarization.”

A Russian official who faced conscription under the leader’s partial mobilization decree previously told Newsweek he believed Putin’s rule was now “closer to the end”.

Dmitry Baltrukov, 43, a municipal deputy for Smolninskoye in St. Petersburg, called on the country’s parliament in September 2022 to remove Putin from power for high treason in the Ukraine war. He said he thinks the Russian leader is “definitely closer to the end of his power” since he announced a partial mobilization of the population.

Baltrukov said he saw “a clear trend” towards a decrease in Russian support for the war.

Russia “has no chance of winning” the war against Ukraine, Baltrukov said, adding: “There is no Russian leadership. For them, this is the end of their power.”

The growing criticism comes as Putin seeks to expand his army, taking it to 1.5 million troops from 1.35 million over a three-year period from 2023.

Shoigu said on Tuesday that 12 new regiments will be formed, military districts will be created in Moscow and Leningrad regions, and the number of conscripts will be increased.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.

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