Reeling from the Crimean bridge disaster, major military reverses in Ukraine and a wildly unpopular call-up of 300,000 conscripts, Russian Dictator Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin subordinates are taking direct political fire from the Russian pro-war nationalist community.
Some military bloggers, who represent and speak to that community on Telegram, criticized the failure of Putin and his Kremlin subordinates to address major events forthrightly, noting that it is challenging to rally behind Putin when his government relies on secrecy, observed the Institute for the Study of War in a communique today. "Others noted that Putin has consistently failed to address incidents such as the sinking of the cruiser Moskva or the prisoner exchange of Azovstal fighters whom the Kremlin had consistently demonized since the Battle of Mariupol."
Some of these bloggers, who are said to represent powerful interests such as the Wagner Group paramilitary, said that Putin must retaliate for the explosion on the Kerch Strait Bridge lest his silence be perceived as ”weakness.” Hours after the bridge blast Russian missiles rained down on civilian targets in Ukraine, killing more than a dozen persons.
Those military bloggers who did not criticize Putin by name instead criticized Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia's security council, for remaining silent following the explosion despite having made several public claims that an attack on the Crimean Bridge was a Russian “red line.” Medvedev, a former president and front-man for Putin, and the council are set to huddle with Putin Monday, Tass reported.
Direct criticism of Putin from this community is unheard of, the institute noted. The military bloggers and other nationalist figures continue to express overwhelming support for Putin’s stated goals in Ukraine -- though not for Putin himself -- and had hitherto blamed failures and setbacks on the Russian military command or the defense ministry.
Under such pressure, the Russian dictator sought today to lay public blame to Ukrainian "terrorists," though unconfirmed reports said Russian security services, in an internecine struggle for survival, were behind the bombing. The bomb-rigged truck had come through Russia on a Black Sea-skirting route originating in Bulgaria, a NATO country which tilts toward Russia, according to a top Moscow official.
These critiques from the hawks are seen by many as attempts by aghast nationalists to shift the blame from themselves for advocating a policy for which Russia was not prepared, militarily or domestically. The institute suggests that the hawks don't think Putin is up to the job of "de-nazifying" Ukraine, implying that his core political base is eroding rapidly.
The institute noted,
The institute's commentary comes amid reports that a feared secret police unit, named for the founder of Soviet Russia's secret police, Felix Dzherzinsky, had rounded up high-ranking members of the military and defense ministry as suspects in a plot connected to the Kerch Bridge sabotage.
Some military bloggers, who represent and speak to that community on Telegram, criticized the failure of Putin and his Kremlin subordinates to address major events forthrightly, noting that it is challenging to rally behind Putin when his government relies on secrecy, observed the Institute for the Study of War in a communique today. "Others noted that Putin has consistently failed to address incidents such as the sinking of the cruiser Moskva or the prisoner exchange of Azovstal fighters whom the Kremlin had consistently demonized since the Battle of Mariupol."
Some of these bloggers, who are said to represent powerful interests such as the Wagner Group paramilitary, said that Putin must retaliate for the explosion on the Kerch Strait Bridge lest his silence be perceived as ”weakness.” Hours after the bridge blast Russian missiles rained down on civilian targets in Ukraine, killing more than a dozen persons.
Direct criticism of Putin from this community is unheard of, the institute noted. The military bloggers and other nationalist figures continue to express overwhelming support for Putin’s stated goals in Ukraine -- though not for Putin himself -- and had hitherto blamed failures and setbacks on the Russian military command or the defense ministry.
Under such pressure, the Russian dictator sought today to lay public blame to Ukrainian "terrorists," though unconfirmed reports said Russian security services, in an internecine struggle for survival, were behind the bombing. The bomb-rigged truck had come through Russia on a Black Sea-skirting route originating in Bulgaria, a NATO country which tilts toward Russia, according to a top Moscow official.
These critiques from the hawks are seen by many as attempts by aghast nationalists to shift the blame from themselves for advocating a policy for which Russia was not prepared, militarily or domestically. The institute suggests that the hawks don't think Putin is up to the job of "de-nazifying" Ukraine, implying that his core political base is eroding rapidly.
The institute noted,
Putin’s stated objectives for the invasion he launched on Feb. 24 deeply resonated with the nationalist community, which firmly subscribes to the ideology of Russia’s historic and cultural superiority and right to control over the territories of the former Soviet Union and the Russian Empire. Recent military failures have caused some milbloggers to become concerned about Putin’s commitment to that ideology, however, with some milbloggers even accusing him of failing to uphold the ideology even prior to the full-scale invasion in February 2022. One milblogger noted on Oct. 7 his disgust with the Russian political elite, including Putin, for consistently failing to seize Ukraine after the Euromaidan Revolution in 2014 [when Ukrainians ousted pro-Russian leadership] and for conducting an “ugly special military operation” that only further united Ukrainians and the West against Russia.The institute commented that, whatever the hawks had been demanding, Putin cannot win the special military operation. "Shuffling senior commanders will not fix the systemic problems that have hamstrung Russian operations, logistics, defense industry, and mobilization from the outset of the invasion." The think tank added that "scapegoats can deflect criticism from Putin only for a time."
The institute's commentary comes amid reports that a feared secret police unit, named for the founder of Soviet Russia's secret police, Felix Dzherzinsky, had rounded up high-ranking members of the military and defense ministry as suspects in a plot connected to the Kerch Bridge sabotage.
No comments:
Post a Comment