A RUSSIAN FEAST: BINGE AND PURGE

July 21, 2023 -Durt Fibo

The Russian Telegram post insulting Vladimir Putin said: “For 23 years, the country was led by a lowlife who managed to ‘blow dust in the eyes’ of a significant part of the population. Now he is the last island of legitimacy and stability of the state. But the country will not be able to withstand another six years of this cowardly bum in power.”

It was written by longtime Putin functionary Igor Strelkov (real name Girkin), a former fellow FSB officer and designated Minister of Defense in the Russian-incubated separatist Donetsk Republic [DPR] in eastern Ukraine, who was yanked out of his house last night and hauled off to parts unknown, according to both Russian state media and his Telegram channel as remobilized by his wife. The Russian news agency Ria Novosti soon clarified that: “Strelkov is charged with Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public calls for extremist activity).” This special law exposes anyone convicted to a possible 5 years of imprisonment. Strelkov was – at least on paper – remanded in custody until September 18.

Strelkov’s state abduction followed three days after his colleague, retired Russian colonel Vladimir Kvachkov, was charged with the crime of “discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.” Srelkov had formed the ultra-nationalist Клуб рассерженных патриотов [Club of Angry Patriots] some months ago, and both men took to blogging and posting alarms that Russia was “on the cusp of very grave internal political changes of a catastrophic character.” Kvachkov had dismissed Putin’s government as “virtually non-existent”

Kvachkov had been sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2013 for creating a terrorist group and plotting to overthrow the government, but was released in 2019 at the spry old age of 70 years.

Strelkov has led a life of conflict, eagerly appearing in in Chechnya, Transnistria, Georgi, Crimea and Bosnia, as well as the bloody creation of the Donetsk Republic – all openly acknowledged by his fans and his competitors – but neither of the (Russian) sides seem to recall that he is currently wanted by The Hague for mass murder (see https://derkoolschrank.com/dutch-court-finds-3-donetsk-separatists-guilty-of-2014-attack-on-passenger-plane/).