A retired Russian general has publicly told Vladimir Putin he lost the war in Ukraine and lacked the intelligence to foresee the disaster, in a live broadcast that breaks with Kremlin war propaganda.
Retired Col. Gen. Leonid Ivashov, appearing on a live stream with Russian blogger Pavel Ivanov, mocked the invasion and demanded an immediate ceasefire and a return to negotiations. Ivashov, who heads the All-Russian Officers' Assembly, has long opposed Putin's course.
General's On-Air Rebuke
"You lost; you didn't foresee a thing. You didn't have the wits to realise that the war wouldn't be some light-hearted operation: flit in there, peck somewhere, and that's it - victory," Ivashov said.
He warned that prolonging the conflict is driving Russia into full militarisation, economic decay and national ruin, sacrificing the country's future to save the political skin of one man. Weeks before the February 2022 invasion, Ivashov had cautioned that attacking Ukraine would threaten Russia's survival.
Losses Revealed by Cyber Leak
The broadcast follows a cyber leak from state statistics bureau Rosstat, hacked by Ukrainian collective Silent Crow and Belarusian cyber group Cyber Partisans, which uncovered more than 400,000 official death certificates tied to combat operations.
UK intelligence and independent researchers estimate the true toll could reach up to 500,000 Russian troops killed in nearly five years of fighting. Remote, impoverished regions have suffered most, with war fatalities accounting for around a third of all working-age male deaths in areas like Buryatia and Tuva.
Diplomatic Talks in Abu Dhabi
The outburst also lands as envoys from Washington, Kyiv and Moscow gather in Abu Dhabi for trilateral talks alongside US figures Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. US diplomats claim both sides show hints of flexibility over disputed eastern territories like Donetsk, but European leaders remain sceptical of the Kremlin's motives.
Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said there is still no genuine indication Putin wants peace, even as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hinted at potential face-to-face talks at an upcoming summit.
