The head of a Russian private militia has called on the army to end the uprising. Vladimir Putin in what may be the biggest threat of uprising the Kremlin has faced since Wagner's mutiny last year.
Georgy Zakrevsky is the founder of the Paladin PMC, one of many shadowy military groups that, like the former Wagner militia, are loosely affiliated with the Kremlin.
The private military company (PMC) has about 300 members and has fought in wars around the world, including in Syria and Africa.
Zakrevsky launched a scathing attack on the Russian president during a video recording in which he blamed all military failures on Ukraine about Putin personally.
He also accused Putin of being the cause of all RussiaHe called on the army to rise up and free the country from the rule of the tyrant.
“Our country is not on the brink of disaster or close to it, our country is already in trouble, in big trouble,” he said.
Drones are flying all over Central America Russiaall the way to Moscow and St. Petersburg. They even attacked the Kremlin.
“Our Black Sea Fleet is being chased away. It is being chased away as if we were not a great power with a large fleet, but a third-rate country.
“Our aviation practically no longer works because it is also being pushed aside. We are in the same positions that we occupied more than two years ago, and partly in those to which we retreated.
“The population is dying out, becoming impoverished, drinking itself to death – no one cares.
“The only thing they can do is bring in migrants. And all this has been done by the so-called 'president' – 'The Great' Putin.”
The video has been widely circulated within the Russian military and clearly poses an alarming threat to the Kremlin.
Last June, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a stunning uprising against Putin, sending his troops into a lightning-fast attack on Moscow.
At the last moment, Prigozhn seemed to get cold feet and called off his mutiny. He died in a plane crash almost two months later in August.
Zakrevsky's call to arms comes shortly after a devastating Ukrainian invasion of Russian territory, which saw Kiev's army capture some 2,000 square kilometers of enemy land.
The Russian military is struggling to contain the attack, which threatens to undermine Putin's political position and his grip on power.