The arrest of military blogger and former Russian commander Igor Girkin is likely to "infuriate" Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, according to British defense officials on Saturday.
Officers from Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, arrested Girkin at his Moscow flat on Friday morning. After a court appearance that afternoon, he was detained at a pre-trial detention facility until September 18 on charges of inciting extremism.
Girkin, who is also known as Igor Ivanovich Strelkov and was a former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer, assisted in Russia's move to annex the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. In addition, he had been highly critical of how Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military has conducted its invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, which he has backed.
There was speculation by some over why Girkin was allowed to condemn the Kremlin's efforts in Ukraine so openly when criticizing what the Kremlin calls a "special military operation" can result in lengthy jail terms.
Girkin also has a large following on the social media platform Telegram where he would post videos and written messages about his misgivings about Russian military command.
In its latest intelligence update on Twitter on Saturday, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense (MOD) said his detention on Friday "is likely to infuriate" those in the mil-blogger community, as well as parts of the serving military "who largely see Girkin as an astute military analyst and patriot."
While no ally of the Wagner Group and dismissive of its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, "he was likely only prepared to push the limits of public criticism" about last month's abortive mutiny it carried out, U.K.'s MOD wrote in its assessment.
This referred to the rebellion that Prigozhin launched in late June to overthrow Russia's military establishment, which he later called off. "The taboo against unmasked criticism of the Putin regime has significantly weakened," British defense officials added.
Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin by email for comment.
(5/5) While Girkin is no ally of the Wagner Group, he was likely only prepared to push the limits of public criticism in the context of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s June 2023 abortive mutiny. The taboo against unmasked criticism of the Putin regime has significantly weakened.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 22, 2023
The Russian newspaper RBC reported that Girkin's detention had been carried out at the request of a former member the Wagner Group. This couldn't immediately be verified by Newsweek.
However, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank, said in a Friday assessment that Girkin's arrest was probably an attempt by the Putin administration to crack down on high-profile Russian ultranationalists after the failed Wagner rebellion.
The think tank added that a leaked document from the Russian security services showed how the Kremlin had "purportedly ordered the Russian authorities to 'take repressive measures against those who are insane, including Strelkov.'"
Girkin's arrest and that of other ultranationalists with ties to Russian security services shows "unknown Russian officials may be targeting prominent ultranationalists who routinely reveal insider information about the Kremlin," the ISW said.
