Former Russian Commander Suggests His Country Will 'Sink' by Year's End

Former Russian commander Igor Ivanovich Strelkov, also known as Igor Girkin, suggested that Russia will "sink" by the end of 2023 as troops continue to fight in the war in Ukraine, which is nearing its one-year mark.

"I have the impression that we will "sink" by the end of this year. And you?" he wrote in a Telegram post on Wednesday.

Russia has touted its recent gains in Soledar that the Russian military said last week would allow its troops to push toward Bakhmut, 9 miles south. But Russia is reportedly struggling to obtain military equipment and is experiencing shortage in manpower, poor morale among troops, and internal division among military leaders.

Still, Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted that victory in Ukraine is "inevitable" and "assured."

"I have no doubt about it," he said on Wednesday during an address to employees of a factory producing air defense systems.

"Everything that we are doing today, including the special military operation, is an attempt to stop this war," he said in a speech during an earlier event with veterans. "This is the gist of our operation: to protect our people who live there, on these territories," he added, according to a state media readout.

Though Putin is confident about the war, some of his critics are becoming more outspoken against the war, with some voicing concerns about how it will impact Russia.

Girkin on Sunday warned of "civil war" in Russia that could result in "millions of casualties."

"There are all kinds of civil wars. There are civil wars that will kill our country in three days in winter. And it will be over in three days, but it will kill the country," Girkin said in a clip with subtitles that was posted to Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

The former commander also said that Moscow could "collapse into a civil war with millions of casualties, with a complete collapse and defragmentation."

On Wednesday, Girkin said that Russia needs to build up several armies and carry out additional training for troops soon in order to prevent a possible defeat.

He also said he believes General Valery Gerasimov and Russia's defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, are incapable of "fulfilling any duties assumed."

Igor Lukes, a history and international relations professor at Boston University, told Newsweek on Thursday that Girkin's criticism of Putin has been "revealing" and cited some of his remarks and criticism of the Russian army's performance in Ukraine.

"Girkin is a criminal wanted by the US and the Dutch, possibly other countries," Lukes said. "His criticism of Putin's conduct of the war has been revealing."

Meanwhile, the Wagner Group (a Russian paramilitary group) founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has been trying to "undermine confidence" in the Russian Defense Ministry and promote himself as the leader of operations in Ukraine, according to a Wednesday assessment by the Institute for the Study of War.

Additionally, Russian TV pundits have cast doubt about Putin's war with journalist and commentator Maxim Yusin questioning whether or not the invasion "is going according to plan."

"The Ukrainian army in the opinion of many is now more combat-ready than 10 months ago," having received "Western weapons they had not even dreamt of," Yusin said during an appearance on the program Pravo Znat (Right to Know) this month. "Clearly it's not working out yet with demilitarization."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry for comment.

Update 1/19/23, 2:27 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from Igor Lukes.