Ukraine Will Invade Russia and Capture Territory From Putin—Igor Girkin

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Igor Girkin, a former Russian commander turned military blogger, has warned that Ukraine might soon invade Russia.

The claim was made by the former Federal Security Service officer on Telegram and later picked up and shared by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs.

Girkin wrote: "There is a fierce shelling of Gorlovka. Perhaps the offensive has begun or is about to begin. I remind you: I predicted the main attack on the Zaporozhye front, auxiliary ones - on Kherson and (possibly) - on Donetsk."

Gorlovka is the Russian name for the Ukrainian city Horlivka in the Donetsk region to the east of the country.

Igor Girkin
A stock photo of former Russian Federal Security Service officer Igor Girkin. Girkin has predicted that Ukraine might soon invade Russia and claimed there was "fierce shelling" in the Donetsk region. Contributor/Getty Images

Girkin added: "Distracting strikes can be inflicted on the 'old border' (Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk regions) in order to capture several settlements and provoke the Russian Federation armed forces to storm them (until they are completely destroyed). Let's see if my predictions come true."

He concluded he "would be happy to be wrong," but he has "little optimism."

Gerashchenko shared Girkin's predictions, writing: "Ukrainian Armed Forces will capture settlements in Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions—terrorist Girkin-Strelkov."

In November 2022, Girkin was convicted in absentia—along with another Russian and a Ukrainian—of murdering all 298 people onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Though one of the most prominent supporters of the invasion of Ukraine, Girkin has often criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior officers in the army for military failings, and accused them of being too soft in their approach to the war.

In the past year, Girkin has called for the full mobilization of the Russian population and a more aggressive war effort. Last month, U.K. newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that Girkin may be facing criminal charges for "discrediting the army."

Ukraine is widely expected to launch a counteroffensive soon, as movement restarts across the front lines that remained largely static during the cold winter months. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said recently that the country needs more time to prepare the counteroffensive.

​​"With [what we already have] we can go forward, and, I think, be successful," Zelensky said during an interview with European broadcasters and aired by the BBC on Thursday. "But we'd lose a lot of people. I think that's unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time."

Newsweek has contacted Ukraine's Defense Ministry for comment via email.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

Writers Page

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more