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We’ve mentioned Igor Girkin a bunch of times over the past year. He’s a prominent Russian nationalist who was in favor of the war in Ukraine but who has become an outspoken critic of the military leadership and, more recently, of Putin himself. In some ways, Girkin has a lot in common with Yevgeny Prigozhin. Like Prigozhin he has a following and has gone from supporter to critic. Today, Girkin was arrested for extremist activities.
Russian security services have detained Igor Girkin — a supporter of the war against Ukraine who has become a vocal critic of how the Kremlin has handled the invasion — and accused him of extremism.
Girkin, a prominent nationalist and former FSB intelligence officer who led Russia’s covert invasion under the guise of support for separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014, became increasingly scathing in his criticism of Moscow’s handling of the full-scale campaign launched nearly 17 months ago, and has called for Vladimir Putin to step down as Russian president.
Russian state media on Friday showed pictures of Girkin in a Moscow courtroom behind a glass wall. It said the state was accusing Girkin of “public calls to carry out extremist activities on the internet”
The irony of Girkin of all people being arrested for extremist activities shouldn’t be lost. Girkin is famous in Russia because he was involved in the invasion and annexation of Crimea. He played a direct role in the shooting down of Flight 17 which killed 298 people.
A Russian Army veteran and former intelligence officer, Mr. Girkin helped Russia illegally annex Crimea in 2014 and then led pro-Russian separatist militias in eastern Ukraine. With his ruthless discipline, he earned a reputation as a decisive commander.
In May 2014, he was appointed defense minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic, a separatist entity that claimed the territory of the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
