…Researched and contributed by Solomon Thomas.
Russian war blogger and former friend of Vladimir Putin, Igor Strelkov, may face imprisonment after making a series of attacks against Putin and his commanders.
Strelkov, who boasts more than 750,000 online followers, does not seem to care about Putin’s plan to have him silenced for his outbursts.
The ex-FSB colonel, whose real name is Igor Girkin, was once the defence minister of Donetsk People’s Republic, and he was involved in the annexation of Crimea and subjugation of Donbas in 2014.
He has many supporters in the Russian military who enjoy his critiques of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Putin’s top commander Valery Gerasimov, whom he has labelled a “Plywood Marshal” and “General Moo-Moo,” respectively.
Strelkov thinks Ukraine should not exist and believes the land belongs to Russia, but he does not think Putin and Shoigu are capable of reclaiming it.
He also criticized Putin’s costly hypersonic weapons like the Kinzhal or Dagger, saying that factually, they don’t use the weapon.
Strelkov’s outburst was prompted by an unnamed woman who tipped off police to his anti-Putin rants, and they are now examining the claims, along with an accusation against him of fraud involving humanitarian aid.
Strelkov warns Putin that every silly move of the head of the state piles up in a piggy bank, and every irresponsible action when instead of taking charge of the war he flies simulator helicopters.
He believes all these actions will be remembered when people turn their backs on the leaders.
In a direct message to Putin, Strelkov said that somebody should tell the President so that he stays quiet.
He also advised Putin to shut up and stay quiet because his warmongering tendencies were being mocked by the enemy, and his country has such a president.
Strelkov has faced legal action before, and he was convicted in absentia last year at the Hague for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 with a Buk missile that killed all 298 people on board.
He admitted that the authorities could bring him down over his recent claims against his former colleagues “if we equate Plywood Marshal and General Moo-Moo to the Armed Forces.”
However, he claimed that no amount of persecution would affect his position, and he does not care about such nonsense and trifles.