Jailed former Russian military commander Igor Girkin, who has strongly criticized how the war in Ukraine has been handled, announced his presidential ambitions on Thursday, while outlining why he would be more suitable to lead the country than Vladimir Putin.
The announcement came days after 52-year-old Girkin, a prominent nationalist, failed in an appeal against his pre-trial detention on charges of inciting extremism.
The former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer, who assisted Russia's move to annex the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, was detained at his home on July 21 and faces charges of making calls for extremist activities.
He had been openly publishing commentary critical of Russia's military strategy and setbacks since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Days before his arrest, Girkin called the Russian president a "cowardly mediocrity" and said Russia would not survive another presidential term by Putin.
In a lengthy post on his Telegram channel on Thursday, Girkin compared himself to Putin, who he said is "too kind" and too "trusting" to lead the country.
Russia's 2024 presidential election is scheduled to be held on March 17 next year. Putin is expected to soon announce his bid for a sixth overall presidential term. Per constitutional changes made prior to the war in Ukraine, Putin may remain in power until 2036.
Putin, wrote Girkin, "refuses to lead military operations and considers himself incompetent in military affairs."
"I consider myself more competent in military affairs than the current president, and certainly than the current minister of defense, therefore I could fulfill the duties of the supreme commander in chief as required by the Constitution of the Russian Federation."
The Russian president is also "too kind," he added.
"When the [war] began a year and a half ago, he was able to quickly make sure that he was being led by the nose not only by respected Western and Kyiv partners, but also by the heads of our law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies and the miltiary-industrial complex," Girkin wrote.
Girkin said it turned out that neither the country, nor the army, nor Russia's industry are ready for war, and "the so-called Ukraine is not at all a strawman in military terms."
"I'm not at all that kind, which I can prove in practice," said Girkin.
On Tuesday Moscow's District Court ordered Girkin to remain in custody until September 18.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
