Russia’s war in Ukraine, Putin makes speech to the nation
Pro-Russian military blogger slams Putin’s speech
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio & Olga Voitovych
Former Russian military officer and prominent military blogger Igor Girkin criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech for failing to address some of the failings of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Ok, it’s clear: the special military operation will continue in its current mode of obscurity. War or even counter-terrorist operation has not been declared, and won’t be,” Girkin wrote in a Telegram post.
“Everything is fine in the army, and it is being done even better. Not a word about failures and defeats,” he added.
Blah, blah, blah, there is no point in listening any further,” he concluded, halfway through the speech.
Girkin, a prominent Russian nationalist, played a key role in Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and throughout the conflict in the Donbas, helping organize separatist groups in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
He has also been charged with murder by Dutch authorities for his involvement in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight 17.
Girkin has been critical of the Kremlin’s approach to the invasion of Ukraine, calling on the Russian Ministry of Defense to enact a tougher stance.
