Five points about Strelkov’s arrest
The measure was necessary to balance the public debate in Russia and impose redlines in criticisms against the government. However, Strelkov remains a hero.
On July 21, Russian war hero, monarchist, Orthodox patriot and former Defense Minister of Donetsk, Igor Girkin (Strelkov) was arrested by FSB agents on accusations of inciting political extremism. As expected, a series of analysts appeared on social networks trying to explain the case. And here are my thoughts.
Strelkov's importance for recent Russian military history and for the struggle for freedom of the people of Donbass is undeniable. A veteran of the defense and intelligence forces, Strelkov has acted in virtually every conflict in which Russia has been involved since the end of the USSR. His military expertise and vivid patriotism, added to political opinions based on patriotism and traditional Orthodox Christian values, make him a highly respected public person.
However, from a realistic perspective, it is also undeniable that Strelkov has violated some "redlines" in recent months. His temperament has become unstable, marked by unnecessary radical pronouncements against various Russian public figures, which tend to be harmful in times of war.
Strelkov attacked almost every sector of Russian society with his words. Not only the government, but friendly patriotic groups as well. Although one can understand his anger at the strategic mistakes of Sergey Shoigu and some bureaucratic generals, his hostile gestures against people like Aleksandr Dugin, Konstantin Malofeev, Sergey Surovikin and Wagner’s Musicians are unjustifiable and reveal that, in fact, Strelkov was behaving inappropriately.
Something even more unacceptable was Strelkov's pronouncement on the alleged "weakness" of Vladimir Putin - the president who led Russia's rebirth as a world power, despite all the challenges imposed on him by adverse domestic conditions. None of the patriotic sectors dared to challenge Putin - not even Prigozhin in his supposed "mutiny", which only targeted Shoigu, while honoring Putin.
In his patriotic radicalism, Strelkov made mistakes by excessiveness. These errors do not nullify his history as a hero of the Russian people, but they certainly tarnish his current image as a public figure. Even though he was personally a peaceful critic, words from him were already reaching the point of inciting public discontent against the government, given his popularity among Russians. And this type of situation is dangerous in times of conflict.
None of this, however, refutes some of Strelkov's pertinent criticisms regarding the progress of the special military operation. Ignoring his mistakes, hysteria and personal attacks on other patriotic figures, Strelkov is right to demand a total mobilization to achieve victory against the Kiev regime. His demand for the use of tactical nuclear weapons must also be seriously discussed so that a decision beneficial to Russian interests can be reached.
So, considering all these factors, it is possible to say that:
1- Strelkov remains a hero. He is not seen as a "traitor", but as someone who has made mistakes and will be punished accordingly, without any change in his previous public status;
2- Therefore, Strelkov will certainly remain well liked and respected in Russia, his arrest sounding like a kind of "warning";
3- Considering that Strelkov was arrested, while no Wagner member was punished for the "mutiny", and taking note of the reports that it would have been PMC’s members who denounced Strelkov to the FSB, then:
3.1- There is a redline on attacks on Russian public figures. One can criticize Shoigu, as Prigozhin did, but one should not confront Putin, as Strelkov did - which sounds absolutely fair and coherent, even more so during war;
3.2- The veracity of the "mutiny" is even more questioned and theories of "psyop" strengthened, since not only did the members of Wagner leave the event unpunished, but they would also be cooperating with Russian intelligence to punish criminals.
4- The arrest does not denote domestic polarization in Russia, seeming to be an isolated and specific case of an activist who blundered in the tone of his criticisms;
5- Given the circumstances, the "pedagogical" arrest of Strelkov is fair, but his criticisms of specific points of the special military operation must be considered by the government’s strategists, since many of them are in agreement with the opinion of other Russian patriots.