Russian elite voice growing anger as losses mount in Ukraine

Russian elite voice growing anger as losses mount in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin tells a Red Square concert celebrating the annexation of four Ukrainian regions 'Victory will be ours'
Russian President Vladimir Putin tells a Red Square concert celebrating the annexation of four Ukrainian regions 'Victory will be ours'. Photo: Alexander NEMENOV / AFP/File
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

A growing list of failings and defeats in Ukraine have spawned angry outbursts from Russia's elite, who still support the "military operation" but have gone as far as to suggest army chiefs should face the firing squad.

Before September saw a series of battlefield reversals, public criticism of the army was rare.

The offensive had been presented as a sacred, patriotic mission and speaking ill of the armed forces could lead to a long stay in prison.

Today, nobody among the elite is calling into question the merits of Moscow's viewpoint or the operation against a neighbouring nation.

Russia's growing losses in Ukraine have led usually quiet public figures to attack the military hierarchy
Russia's growing losses in Ukraine have led usually quiet public figures to attack the military hierarchy. Photo: Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app!

But the military setbacks and problems over the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of reservists have led usually quiet public figures to attack the military hierarchy.

Read also

Ukraine war, climate favourites for Nobel Peace Prize

On Wednesday, the head of the lower house of parliament's defence committee, said the army should "stop lying", as daily briefings praise enormous losses supposedly suffered by Ukrainian forces without mention of Russian troop reversals.

"The people know. Our people are not stupid," warned former general Andrei Kartapolov.

"And they see that we do not want to tell them even part of the truth. That can lead to a loss of credibility," he told the online show of star presenter Vladimir Solovyov, an ultra-patriot.

Capital punishment

Solovyov, who is under EU sanctions, said certain members of the army's top ranks deserved to face a firing squad.

"The guilty should be punished, we don't have capital punishment unfortunately, but for some of them it would be the only solution.

President Putin was moved to admit publicly that "errors" were made in the effort to mobilise reservists
President Putin was moved to admit publicly that "errors" were made in the effort to mobilise reservists. Photo: Olga MALTSEVA / AFP
Source: AFP

"They don't even have an officer's sense of honour because they are not shooting themselves," he said.

For celebrity war reporter Alexander Kots, writing on his Telegram channel, "There won't be any good news (from the front) in the near future."

Read also

A #MeToo scandal too far in France?

The verbal assaults and an air of defeatism were all the more striking when Vladimir Putin celebrated the annexation of four Ukrainian regions with a concert on Moscow's Red Square.

"Victory will be ours," blared the president from a giant video screen amid a sea of Russian flags.

None of the criticism has directly targeted the all-powerful head of state, or even his defence minister Sergei Shoigu.

But when Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov hit out at Russia's generals, urging the use of nuclear weapons and hinting Putin had been ill-informed, the Kremlin had to react.

Sabotage

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded, saying: "In difficult moments, emotions must be excluded ... We prefer to make measured and objective evaluations (of the situation)."

None of the criticism from Russia's elite has directly targeted President Putin
None of the criticism from Russia's elite has directly targeted President Putin. Photo: Gavriil GRIGOROV / SPUTNIK/AFP
Source: AFP

Putin was moved to admit publicly to "errors" in the effort to mobilise reservists after an avalanche of documented cases of people without army experience were called up to the front.

Read also

Traumatised Mozambique region seeks answers after jihadist attack

Russia's political opposition has been virtually wiped out with its main leader Alexei Navalny in jail.

What remains of the opposition operates mostly from abroad and is attempting to rebuild within Russia amid hopes of riding popular discontent.

"The millions of people who remain in Russia are hostages of Putin and do not want to fight," said Navalny ally Leonid Volkov, who announced on YouTube the re-launch of an activist network in the nation's regions.

"The struggle can take different forms, with different levels of risk -- we can put out information, offer legal aid, do voluntary work or sabotage the work of military commissariats, some of which burn very well," he noted.

New feature: Сheck out news that is picked for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.