Russia’s crackdown on criticism of its invasion of Ukraine is now targeting some of its most hawkish supporters, a sign that President Vladimir Putin will brook no opposition to his “special military operation” regardless of where it comes from.
A Moscow court on Thursday sentenced prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin to four years in prison on extremism charges over his criticism of the Kremlin’s war strategy in Ukraine.
Mr. Girkin, better known in Russia and Ukraine by his nom de guerre “Igor Strelkov,” was a top leader of pro-Russian separatists in the Ukrainian breakaway region now called the Donetsk People’s Republic. He angered Russian military leaders with his frequent criticism of their strategy in Ukraine, saying they weren’t effectively prosecuting the war.
“Girkin shall be sentenced to 4 years imprisonment to be served in a standard security colony,” the Russian judge said. The court also prohibited him from using the internet for three years following his release, according to the country’s official TASS news agency.
He was arrested in July after making a series of social media posts that were harshly critical of Mr. Putin.
“The country will not survive another six years of this cowardly mediocrity in power,” Mr. Girkin wrote on the Telegram social messaging site days before his arrest, according to the Moscow Times newspaper.
Mr. Girkin’s supporters said the case against him was motivated more by politics than justice. Before his sentencing, he had announced a plan to run for president in 2024.
“I consider myself more competent in military affairs than the incumbent president and certainly more competent than [Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu],” Mr. Girkin said in a social media post.