Vladimir Putin has been ridiculed by a top Soviet and Russian general in a scathing critique of his war with Ukraine. Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov, 83, implied the Kremlin dictator "didn't have the brains" to win the conflict.
General's blunt message
Retired commander Ivashov is one of Russia's most respected military figures, photographed with old Moscow allies Fidel Castro and Slobodan Milosevic. He couched his attack as a blast against a Putin strategist but his message for the dictator was clear.
In a humiliating takedown of the Russian president, he said: "You've already lost. You failed to foresee absolutely anything. Didn't you have the brains to understand that this war wasn't going to be some easy, lightweight operation where you just flutter up, peck at something and that's it, you've won?"
Impact and reaction
The remarks mark a striking public rebuke from a senior military figure within Russia. The story is developing, with further details expected to follow.
