History repeats itself and Ramzan Kadyrov is furious again. The Chechen leader had already called for general mobilization in Russia, from mid-September, after the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region. He went up a notch after the loss of Lyman, claiming (in Russian) martial law in the border regions, as well as “use of low-power nuclear weapons” on Ukrainian soil. But Ramzan Kadyrov, above all, no longer hesitates to openly criticize the senior officers of the Russian army.
In his sights: General Alexandre Lapin, commander-in-chief of the central district of the Russian army, accused of having established his headquarters away from the fighting. The Chechen leader got angry with the “nepotism in the army”claiming that this officer had “been covered by the Chiefs of Staff”. Before enrage: “If it were up to me, I would demote him, deprive him of his rewards and send him to the front, with a machine gun in his hand, to wash away his shame at the cost of blood.”
Determined to set an example in the face of the corruption of the military elites, Ramzan Kadyrov added on Monday that he would soon send his three sons, aged 14 to 16, to the front. The Chechen leader’s acerbic attacks were widely picked up by the Russian media. Especially since he found an ally in the person of Evgueni Prigojine, founder of the paramilitary group Wagner: “Let’s send all these bastards to the front, with machine guns and bare feet!”
Even as the retreat of Russian Lyman troops was underway, some commentators had praised the city garrison for holding out for so long against Ukrainian forces. By a curious rewriting of the events, they added that the military objective was simply to gain time, in order to allow the installation of a defensive line further north, on an axis connecting Kreminna and Svatove.
The fiery diatribes of Ramzan Kadyrov and Yevgeny Prigojine “have had a profound effect on the Russian information space”notes the Institute for the Study of War (in English), “because they broke the narrative of the Kremlin trying to soften the blow of defeat around Lyman”. Worse, “their words probably undermined the leadership of Vladimir Putin, perhaps inadvertently”.
These moods are in any case closely followed by the Kremlin. The spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, was forced to react, while welcoming the contribution “heroic” of the leader of Grozny.
“In difficult times, emotions must be excluded. (…) We prefer to make assessments [de la situation] measured and objective.”
Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesmanat a press conference
Still, the two men have found an audience. “Evgueni Prigozhin and Ramzan Kadyrov are the true heroes and leaders of our people’s war”enthused Alexander Dougin, Russian far-right theorist, on Telegram. “Not only are they not afraid of the enemy, but they are also not afraid to tell the truth. Even if it is difficult.” A way of dubbing the two characters in the face of the Russian general staff, accused of all evils. And this, despite several dismissals, including the general in charge of logistics.
These two voices are added to that of the essential Igor Guirkin, known as “Strelkov” (the “Shooter”). This Russian military expert, who enjoys a certain aura for having led the Donetsk rebels in 2014, had already described the Russian generals as “cretins” (in Russian) after the setbacks in Kharkiv. While advocating total war in Ukraine, he multiplies his sarcastic speeches against the general staff. This time again, he commented on the rout by denouncing “awe-inspiring cretinism and unprofessional leadership”.
These criticisms now seem to be making their way onto national airwaves. And including on the Rossiya 1 channel, where propagandist Vladimir Solovyov reigns. “The interaction between the fronts is managed by the general staff”, underlined on set General Andreï Gourouliev, deputy of the United Russia formation. Pointing at a system “failed”he demanded (in Russian) that those responsible for military failures be brought before a court-martial.
As Russian propagandists try to find an explanation for the defeats, the theme of corruption and incompetence on the part of the general staff is gaining ground among the most inflamed supporters of the war. “Every new loss is to the personal credit of the Commander-in-Chief”for example commented the nationalist writer Zakhar Prilepine, who has oscillated between weariness and annoyance for several weeks.
The Kremlin must finally deal with the rebellion of military bloggers, who have been chronicling the slightest movement for months. After the counter-offensive in September, several of them had already demanded accountability from the officers concerned. These opinion relays, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, mediate the Russian military objectives of the Kremlin, whose enthusiasm and propaganda themes they share.
“War correspondents make up a very particular social group”, nuanced the researcher Anna Colin Lebedev, in mid-September, with franceinfo. These criticisms are no less embarrassing: “The Kremlin cannot suppress pro-war speech, even if they express demands that are not in the interests of power.” A double-edged sword, then. Unlike the Ministry of Defence, the “mi-bloggers” make no mystery of Russian setbacks, which have the unfortunate tendency to multiply. None has yet crossed the yellow line and Vladimir Putin seems spared. So far, at least.