Moscow Sees Growing 'Split in Power' Amid Putin's War: Ex-Russian Commander

Moscow leadership is seeing a growing divide amid its floundering invasion of Ukraine, according to one ex-Kremlin commander.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his "special military operation" on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, aiming for a quick victory against his Eastern European neighbor. More than 10 months later, however, his troops are still continuing to struggle to make progress. In addition, the war has exposed weaknesses in Putin's military, allowing Ukraine to retake significant occupied territory.

Now, this lack of progress appears to be sparking a divide among Russian leadership, according to ex-commander Igor Girkin, a pro-war Russian nationalist who has become increasingly critical about the invasion's execution.

Girkin, in a Telegram post on Saturday, shared a report indicating that Yevgeny Prigozhin—who leads the Wagner Group—suggested that "money oligarchs" could be responsible for "discrediting" his organization's work in Ukraine.

Prigozhin's Wagner Group is a privately owned mercenary group, consisting of ex-convicts, that have been recruited to fight in Ukraine to make up for mounting Russian losses. The group has faced accusations of conducting human rights abuses and attacks on civilians, and has recently found itself at odds with some Russian authorities.

Girkin wrote that Prigozhin's remarks blaming oligarchs for new criticisms of the Wagner Group are illustrative of the growing division.

"If I knew how to draw, I would create a caricature on which two heads of our national coat of arms, equipped with faces, peck at each other," Girkin wrote. "The split in power is growing."

Girkin also doubled down on his own critiques of Russian leaders. In a separate post, he called out Russian leadership for, what he views, as indications Putin may not be going tough enough on Ukraine, seeking negotiations rather than a military conquest over Kyiv.

"They do not believe in 'Ukraine' and (even more so) do not intend to make efforts to defeat it, still cherishing the idiotic hope of a 'final compromise.' And that's why the speech of the hypocritical ex-official in the miter sounds so herbivorous and reptilian," he wrote, referring to the church's Christmas prayer.

Wagner Group Blames Losses on Russian Leadership

Girkin's latest remarks are not the first indication that Russian leadership is not fully united about its approach to the Ukraine war, as Putin faces pressure to change the trajectory of the war in favor of the Russians.

Prigozhin also cast blame on the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) for its inability to make gains in Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank.

In an interview with Russian state media, he reportedly said his troops can't advance in the city because Putin's army haven't cleared buildings, which the ISW wrote gave Prigozhin a chance to blame the MOD for his own troops' failures.

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