A senior Russian General has launched a blistering attack on Vladimir Putin for his decision to invade Ukraine, calling the war a failure “on all fronts”. Colonel General Leonid Ivashov is a former officer who had a long and distinguished career in the Soviet army, before serving in Russia’s Ministry of Defence.

He was a platoon commander that helped put down the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia in 1968. He was also one of the organisers of the march by Kremlin paratroopers on Pristina Airport in Kosovo in 1999, that led to tense standoff between NATO and Russia. The former senior officer has been a long-time critic of Putin and has not ben shy of airing his true opinions about the Kremlin boss.

Shortly before Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022, he published a statement as the head of the All-Russian Officers Assembly condemning Putin’s “criminal policy of provoking a war” and called for his resignation.

In a recent interview, Ivashov did not hold back in his criticisms, as he gave full vent to his fury. He accused Putin of failing Russia in all areas – from the economy to the war and more.

Referring to the Ukraine war, he said: “We have achieved no success at the tactical-operational level, and at the strategic level we have failed on ALL fronts.”

He noted that the huge boost in spending on the military-industrial complex had deprived much needed funds for other areas of the economy and society.

“All industrial sectors have been destroyed,” he said. “Science is in critical condition, and education has completely collapsed.

“Healthcare is in ruins. All regions are cutting healthcare spending.”

He argued that under Putin, Russians were becoming “poorer and poorer” and that corruption had increased disproportionately.

The Colonel General decried Russia’s isolation on the international stage, saying that the Kremlin’s allies – China and North Korea – were of no use at all to the country.

“Wherever you look, you see failure,” he concluded. “Putin is responsible for everything. He lives in his own world, surrounded by an imposed cult of personality. The strategic failure [in the war with Ukraine] could very well lead to the disintegration of Russia.”