11 December 2022, Sunday, 15:02 676

Supporters May Turn Away From Putin Because Of Failures In Donbas - ISW

Редактор: Daria Zubkova

Putin may lose support because of the very slow advance of Russian forces in Donbas. Now he is criticized even by people associated with the militants of the LPR and DPR groupings.

This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

For example, former "Minister of Defense of the DPR" Igor Girkin directly criticized Putin for not being able to dislodge Ukrainian forces from under the artillery zone of Donetsk, although Putin called the goal of the special military operation (SMO) "defense" of Donbas. The former "minister" did not like that Putin called the course of the "special operation" "stable".

The former so-called "Minister of Security of the DPR" Alexander Khodakovsky noted that Putin's long rule was not entirely successful. He stated that there are discussions about the need to change the state of affairs, hinting at corruption schemes surrounding the reconstruction of Mariupol.

"Criticism of Girkin and Khodakovsky is unprecedentedly direct compared to their previous attacks on the Kremlin," the statement reads.

That, that Putin has been criticized even by the leaders of militant groupings could encourage further divisions between Russia's pro-war communities and Putin.

According to analysts, a prolonged war could cast doubt on his ability to appease military bloggers.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the Luhansk and Donetsk Regions over the past day. In these regions, the occupiers continue to make attempts to break through Ukrainian defense.

Больше новостей о: Russia Donbas war Ukraine LPR Putin dpr Russian aggression Vladimir Putin Igor Girkin war in Ukraine ISW Alexander Khodakovsky DPR/LPR militants