Former Russian commander Igor Girkin stated on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin lacks goals or a strategy in the Ukraine war.
On February 24, 2022, Putin initiated a “special military operation” against Ukraine, with the intention of achieving a swift victory over their Eastern European neighbor, perceived to have a smaller and weaker military at the time.
Nevertheless, Ukraine’s determined defense efforts, supported by military aid from Western countries, along with weaknesses within Putin’s troops, thwarted Russian military advances. Over a year later, the fighting remains concentrated in eastern Ukraine, and Moscow continues to struggle in making progress.
Mounting military losses on the battlefield have opened Putin up to criticism among Russian nationalists, who generally support the idea of taking Ukrainian territory, but have questioned the effectiveness of Moscow’s military leadership.
Girkin, who gained prominence during the 2014 annexation of Crimea and received a guilty verdict last year for participating in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, stands as a prominent figure among Russian nationalists. He has also offered sharp criticisms in recent months as the war continues to stagnate.
He slammed the Vladimir Putin for lacking goals or a strategy in a Telegram post on Sunday.
“The goals of the war are not defined, the understanding that ‘this war – until the complete victory of one of the parties’ – also did not arise among the inhabitants of the Planet of Pink Pony,” Girkin wrote.
When announcing the invasion of Ukraine, Putin listed several of his goals—to liberate the separatist Donbas region and rid the Ukrainian government of Nazis.
Analysts scrutinized these motivations, specifically highlighting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish.
