Vladimir Putin has been blasted for war failures in Ukraine by a notorious former Russian colonel who has called for a full scale combat.
The ex-colonel of Russia’s GRU spy agency, Vladimir Kvachkov, was fined for “discrediting” the army over social media posts which highlighted unspecific criticism of the “special military operation in Ukraine and the Russian leadership”.
Kvachkov told a court in Moscow that neither the Russian president nor Sergei Shoigu, the country’s defence minister, or Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff were “capable of waging a war” in Ukraine.
The court fined him 40,000 roubles (£320) which marks the latest high-profile public crackdown by the Kremlin on nationalist critics.
The ex-colonel of Russia’s GRU spy agency, Vladimir Kvachkov was fined for 'discrediting' the army over social media posts which highlighted unspecific criticism of the 'special military operation in Ukraine and the Russian leadership'
Wiki common images/ Neuromir TV
However, the 75-year-old said that the charges against him were incorrect, and it was in fact “Putin, Shoigu and Gerasimov who are discrediting the Russian armed forces”.
He also told a reporter ahead of the hearing that it was “Putin and his team who are guilty”.
Kvachkov will face a prison sentence if he is convicted again on the same charge.
Putin has not yet formally announced war on Ukraine but refers to its offensive as a “special military operation”.
Alongside Igor Girkin, a pro-war blogger, Kvachkov has appeared at public events and on social media streams.
Girkin was arrested last month over an investigation into alleged extremism.
The former Russian security officer has since reduced his critical postings on social media.
Kvachkov was well known for his hardline nationalistic and xenophobic views and now supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Igor Girkin was arrested last month over an investigation into alleged extremism
Wiki commons images/ Dom kobb
Speaking on court, he denied any involvement with content on Odnoklassniki, a Russian social-media outlet, which had shared his three critical posts.
He was previously acquitted of plotting to kill Anatoly Chubais, a former top Russian official who spearheaded radical market reforms in the 1990s, in a car bombing in 2005.
But was found guilty of plotting to overthrow the government and jailed until 2019.
