By Bond Robertson 
Girkin believes that he himself could have been a better president than Putin. Earlier this week he launched his candidacy.
Girkin, also known as “The Arch”, was imprisoned after a series of blog posts in which he was highly critical of Vladimir Putin and the political leadership in the Kremlin.
According to NTB, Girkin faces up to five years in prison for his activism.
However, that hasn’t stopped the ultra-nationalist from launching a list of reasons why he’s a better president than Vladimir Putin. Girkin posted a list of six reasons why he should be Putin’s boss on his Telegram channel.
With the first reason, Girkin went straight down Putin’s throat, criticizing him for not commanding the troops in Ukraine himself.
He writes that Putin “considers himself incompetent in military affairs.”
– I consider myself more competent in military affairs than the current president, writes Girkin and adds a criticism of Defense Minister Sergei Shogo:
– And certainly more than the current Minister of Defense.
Lavrov: – Unacceptable
Girkin himself has first-hand experience of military operations and war crimes.
Among other things, he led the Russian-led uprising in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, in 2014, NTB writes. according to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Girkin ordered the kidnapping and execution of many people when he was the commander-in-chief of the Donetsk forces.
Girkin also participated in the Russian war in Chechnya in the early 2000s.
A Dutch court in 2022 found Girkin guilty of killing the 298 people who died when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down in Russian-controlled areas of Donetsk.
Putin’s hidden war
– very naive
The second reason, Girkin claims, is that Vladimir Putin has allowed himself to be entrapped and misled by Western leaders for too long—quite the opposite of the image Putin and the Kremlin are trying to paint of the Russian autocrat.
– Our president is a very naive person, writes Girkin, and lists Western politicians he believes have deceived Putin. here they are:
- Barack Obama
- Donald Trump
- Emmanuel Macron
- Angela Merkel
- Petro Poroshenko
- Volodymyr Zelensky
– I would never have believed them, says the ultra-nationalist.
– Very pleasant
The now-jailed critic of the regime believes Putin did not act forcefully enough in Ukraine. Girkin has consistently criticized Russia’s war in Ukraine for lacking the will to carry it out. Gherkin believes this is the third reason.
Our current president is very nice, and he writes and claims that Putin allowed himself to be deceived by Russian defense and intelligence into thinking the country was ready for war.
– I’m not very kind, which I can prove in practice, he writes.
He criticizes the oligarchy
The fourth reason, Girkin writes, is that Putin has a lot of relationships with billionaires and businessmen, who influence his policies.
– I don’t have a single friend, not even a millionaire, Girkin writes to emphasize that he himself is not bound by the net of the oligarchy.
Gherkin’s fifth point is of a more ethical nature. Russian nationalist and coup-maker believes Putin Honesty and morals It prevents him from breaking agreements and promises.
– Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin, journ.amn.) is a very moral person, always true to his word, writes Girkin who believes that Putin is obligated to keep the promises of the 1990s – including those made on behalf of Russia.
And for the record: Putin has violated, among other things, the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, in which Russia, Great Britain, and the United States declared that they would respect Ukraine’s borders and independence in return for the country giving up its nuclear weapons.
– I have not promised anything to anyone, and therefore I can ignore the personal guarantees given by all Russian presidents from 1991 to the present, if I think they are useful, Girkin writes.
– Not very athletic
However, the 52-year-old Gerkin admits he is not quite as coachable as the 70-year-old Putin – given age.
“I’m not as athletic and healthy as Putin was my age, so I won’t be able to bother physically for more than 20 years,” Gerkin wrote in what appears to be a self-mocking admission that he has none. He plans to be president for 20 years.