Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking direct fire from defense insiders who say their country’s inept leadership is to blame for the country’s military failures in Ukraine, as even Mr. Putin has been forced to acknowledge in recent days that the war is taking far longer than expected amid a series of setbacks and battlefield defeats.
Igor Girkin, a popular Russian military blogger who played a key role in Moscow’s forced annexation of Crimea in 2014, blasted Russian military leadership in a social media post on Sunday.
In a rare step, he even referenced Mr. Putin directly, saying that he’s heard criticism from Russian troops on the front lines in Ukraine who are growing increasingly frustrated with the president, Kremlin officials and the upper echelon of Russia’s armed forces.