Newsweek reported that former Russian commander Igor Girkin mocked a Kremlin commander's pledge to supply more munitions to Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Saturday that his country had increased ammunition production to support the army in implementing what Moscow describes as a plan for military operation in Ukraine.
Gerkin published a lengthy post on his Telegram account on Saturday saying Shoigu's announcement was not enough to support Russian forces in Ukraine and that the "numerous" increases in munitions production were nothing compared to the ability to use them, which is more important.
He argued that being able to use these weapons in an unartificial manner required increased production according to demands from the battlefield, and called Shoigu and other Russian military commanders stupid and said they "don't understand what they say and write."
He said the Russian people still continue to believe their officials' statements that the war is going according to plan, and warned that Russian voters will eventually start wondering why the war continues despite the authorities' claims of progress.
The Newsweek report noted that Gerkin has recently emerged as a leading voice for Russian military bloggers who criticize Moscow's strategy in Ukraine, even though he is a Russian nationalist — as he describes himself — who supports the goals of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine accuses Gorkin of war crimes for his role in the war that ended with Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, where he was at the forefront of Russia's military commanders in that conflict.
Many of what he described as "deep people" began to ask a simple question: If everything is going well in our eyes, why does the war last for 14 months, why are the losses so great, and the victory far from what it was in the beginning?
Gerkin's criticism comes amid fresh signs that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is stagnating, with Britain's Ministry of Defence saying on Saturday that it has become clear that Russia's winter offensive in eastern Ukraine focused on the city of Bakhmut had failed.