Former GRU spy colonel Vladimir Kvachkov has sharply criticized Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. In front of a Moscow court, he is said to have claimed that the politicians in question were “unfit to wage a war in Ukraine,” the Daily Mail reports. As a result of these statements, Kvachkov was fined 40,000 rubles for “discrediting the armed forces”. The reason for this conviction was three posts on social media in which he criticized the Russian military operation in Ukraine and the Russian leadership.

Sharp criticism of Putin’s warfare

The 75-year-old ex-colonel defended himself in court and denied any involvement in content on Odnoklassniki, the Russian social network. According to the Daily Mail, Kvachkov denied any allegations and stressed that “Putin and his team are guilty”. If he is found guilty, he could even face a prison sentence.

Interestingly, Kvachkov frequently appeared in the company of Igor Girkin, a war blogger blamed for the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, according to the Daily Mail. Girkin was also arrested last month pending investigations into extremism.