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| Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP |
Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking direct fire from defense insiders who say their country’s inept leadership is to blame for the country’s military failures in Ukraine, as even Mr. Putin has been forced to acknowledge that the war is taking far longer than expected.
Igor Girkin, a popular Russian military blogger who played a key role in Moscow’s forced annexation of Crimea in 2014, blasted Russian military leadership in a social media post on Sunday.
In a rare step, he even referenced Mr. Putin directly, saying that he‘s heard criticism from Russian troops on the front lines in Ukraine who are growing increasingly frustrated with the president, Kremlin officials and the upper echelon of Russia‘s armed forces.
The “fish’s head is completely rotten,” Mr. Girkin said in a video on his Telegram channel, according to English-language media accounts.
“It is not just me,” said Mr. Girkin, a former officer with Russia’s Federal Security Service. “People are not blind and deaf at all. People at the midlevel there do not even hide their views which, how do I put it, are not fully complimentary about the president or the defense minister.”
The criticism of Mr. Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has mounted over the past few months. It gained steam throughout the fall as Russian troops were pushed back by a Ukrainian counteroffensive that ultimately recaptured Kharkiv, Kherson and other key cities. --->READ MORE HERE
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not hold his annual year-end press conference for the first time in a decade, prompting speculation that the Russian leader is sick or running scared from answering questions about Ukraine as the war enters its 10th month.
“As for the big press conference, yes, it won’t happen before the New Year,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday.
“But we hope that the president will still find an opportunity to talk with [journalists], as he regularly does, including during foreign [visits],” Peskov added.
While Peskov gave no reason behind the move, the war in Ukraine and Russian troops having to make repeated retreats in recent weeks were likely both factors in choosing to break the tradition.
The move also draws attention to suspicions that Putin’s health is on the decline, especially following reports last week that he fell down the stairs and soiled himself. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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