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Vladimir Putin ‘lowlife, cowardly bum’, Russian blogger says; arrested in Moscow
Russia was “on the cusp of very grave internal political changes of a catastrophic character", Igor Girkin said.
Prominent Russian pro-war blogger Igor Girkin who criticized president Vladimir Putin and his invasion in Ukraine was arrested as Kremlin’s patience with dissent grows thinner in the wake of the Wagner group's rebellion last month. Igor Girkin is a former KGB officer who helped Russia seize Crimea and was convicted of mass murder for his role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine. He was arrested from his home in Moscow by security agents and charged with “extremist activity", Reuters reported.
He co-founded an ultra-nationalist political group called the Angry Patriots Club. Russia was “on the cusp of very grave internal political changes of a catastrophic character", he said, adding that if Vladimir Putin “is not ready to take the leadership over the creation of war-ready conditions” in Russia “then he really needs to transfer the powers, but legally, to someone who is capable of such hard work.”
Read more: Vladimir Putin buying time before his revenge against Wagner boss: CIA chief
Igor Girkin called the president a “lowlife” and a “cowardly bum” saying, “For 23 years, the country was led by a lowlife who managed to ‘blow dust in the eyes’ of a significant part of the population. Now he is the last island of legitimacy and stability of the state. But the country will not be able to withstand another six years of this cowardly bum in power.”
His wife Miroslava Reginskaya said that he was taken away “to an unknown direction.”
The Meshchansky Court of Moscow said, “Strelkov is charged with Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public calls for extremist activity)." If found guilty, Girkin could be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence claimed that his arrest signals that there could be growing disputes within the Kremlin.
“The issue is not with Girkin himself, who has never acted as an independent figure before. Neither have many other military correspondents or military bloggers, or members of Girkin’s group. These are not independent figures,” a representative for Ukraine’s defense intelligence said.
