Ex-GRU colonel blames Putin for war failures in court rant as he’s fined for ‘discrediting the army’
A infamous former colonel of Russia’s GRU spy company has blamed Vladimir Putin for war failures in Ukraine as he was fined for “discrediting” the military.
Vladimir Kvachkov complained in a Moscow court on Tuesday that neither the Russian president nor Sergei Shoigu, the nation’s defence minister, or Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the common employees, have been “capable of waging a war” in Ukraine.
His outburst got here as the court convicted him of “discrediting the armed forces” and fined him 40,000 roubles (£320) over three social media posts that includes unspecified criticism of the “special military operation in Ukraine and the Russian leadership”.
The ruling marked the newest high-profile public clampdown by the Kremlin on nationalist critics who’ve urged Putin to declare “all-out war” on Ukraine.
But Kvachkov, 75, informed the court that the expenses towards him made no sense, arguing it was “Putin, Shoigu and Gerasimov who are discrediting the Russian armed forces”.
He additionally denied any involvement with content material on Odnoklassniki, the Russian social-media outlet, which had shared his three vital posts.
Kvachkov had informed a reporter previous to the listening to that it was “Putin and his team who are guilty”.
If convicted once more on the similar cost, he’ll face a jail sentence.
