According to British intelligence, the sentence to the former FSB officer and militant Ihor Girkin was handed down against the background of the persecution by the criminal Kremlin authorities of all critics of the regime.
What is connected with the verdict of Girkin
In the summary of the analysts of the British Ministry of Defense, it is noted that on January 25, the Russian court sentenced Girkin to 4 years in prison for "public incitement of extremist activity", connected with criticism of the actions of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation against the background of the unleashed criminal war against Ukraine.
The former FSB officer took part in hostilities in Donbas on the side of the Russian-controlled armed terrorist groups, the so-called "DPR" and "LPR".
Girkin was also the so-called "defence minister" of the "DNR" for some time.
At the beginning of the Kremlin's criminal war against Ukraine, he supported a large-scale invasion.
However, very soon, he began to sharply criticize the actions of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation.
Girkin was arrested in July 2023 after Prigozhin's mutiny, and in November 2023, he announced his intention to run in the 2024 Russian presidential election.
The Kremlin began to punish criticism severely
According to British intelligence, since Prigozhyn's mutiny, the Kremlin has become more sensitive to criticism of its so-called "special military operation" by conservative nationalists, who are one of the few credible alternatives to Putin's leadership.
Girkin sentencing is a part of a broader crackdown on those critical of the Kremlin and the war in Ukraine, reflecting the more authoritarian nature of life in Putin's Russia, the British Ministry of Defense said in a report.
