Convicted war criminal Strelkov warns new mobilization would trigger Russia's collapse
Convicted war criminal Igor Strelkov says a general mobilization in Russia is now too late to succeed and could push the country into a collapse resembling 1917. He believes the Kremlin understands this risk and will avoid a full mobilization.
Former separatist commander Igor Strelkov (Girkin), who led militant forces in Crimea and Donbas, has warned in a letter published by his supporters that declaring a general mobilization in Russia now would be a hopelessly late and dangerous move.
He argues that attempting a full-scale mobilization at this stage could severely destabilize both Russia's socio-economic situation and its domestic political order, potentially causing consequences worse than the problem the mobilization was meant to solve. Strelkov says he believes the Kremlin recognizes this danger and will therefore avoid ordering a general mobilization, while a partial mobilization remains possible but would only briefly delay defeat rather than change the outcome.
Comparison to 1917
Strelkov stated that if a general mobilization were nonetheless announced, it would effectively mean the end of the state, drawing a parallel to the February 1917 revolution, when mass protests, economic crisis and the army's refusal to obey authorities led to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II.
From militia leader to convicted extremist
A Russian court has already sentenced Girkin to four years in prison for calls to extremist activity linked to posts on Telegram; he denies the charges. Separately, a court in The Hague convicted him in absentia and sentenced him to life imprisonment over the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet above Donbas in 2014, which killed all 298 people on board.
Girkin took part in the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and led a militant assault on Sloviansk that marked the start of the war in Donbas, later serving briefly as defense minister of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic." He went on to support Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine while criticizing Russian military and political leadership for what he considered insufficiently aggressive conduct of the war, leading to his 2023 arrest on extremism charges.
