Former GRU Colonel Vladimir Quachkov accused of “discrediting” the army

With regard to the retired GRU colonel Vladimir Quachkov, a protocol was drawn up on the “discrediting” of the army (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), as he himself told Kommersant.

According to Kvachkov, the denunciation was the reason for the case. “Administrative materials were received by the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Tver region in Moscow. It was developed after an appeal from a certain citizen whom I do not know exactly, ”he said.

Kvachkov also does not know what specific statements of his were considered “discrediting”. The former colonel intends to go with a lawyer to the police and arrange everything.

Meanwhile, Quachkov suggested that discontent could be triggered by the appeal of the “All-Russian Officers’ Assembly”, in which he and his associates criticize the situation in Ukraine and also call for “a transition from a special operation to a full-scale war.”

The text was published on social media. Quachkov himself believes that the appeal is “a criticism of the actions of the country’s political leadership and the military command of the Russian Federation, but does not discredit the Russian army.”

retired the colonel faces a fine of 30,000 to 50,000 rubles. “Despite everything, I will continue to talk about current events, about the war, about the political situation in Russia,” he said.

The 74-year-old Kvachkov served 30 years in the GRU special forces and in the General Staff apparatus. He took part in the Afghan war and armed conflicts in Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. In 2005, Kvachkov was charged with an attempt on the life of Anatoly Chubais, but the jury acquitted him.

Then the army created the “People’s Militia named after Minin and Pozharsky”, which was later recognized as a terrorist group. In 2013, the court sentenced Kwaczkowo to eight years in a strict regime colony for attempting armed rebellion. He was released in February 2019.

Former State Duma deputy and retired air force colonel Viktor Alksnis expressed confidence that, together with the former defense minister of the self-proclaimed DPR, Igor Strelkov (Girkin), he would be the next to “discredit” the army, sentenced in absentia in the Netherlands to life imprisonment for the destruction of a passenger Boeing in 2014. Aksnis noted that he was prepared for such a turn of events, and that “a bitter truth is better than a sweet lie.”

Kvachkov repeatedly participated in Strelkov’s broadcasts, where they jointly criticized the Russian authorities and the leadership of the Ministry of Defense. However, before the uprising PKW Wagner headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the law enforcement authorities did not pay attention to such statements if they came from supporters of the war with Ukraine. However, after an attempted armed uprising by mercenaries, the situation changed.

In early July, security forces tried to disrupt Strelkov’s speech at the Listva bookstore in St. Petersburg. First, the police brought a warning about the inadmissibility of illegal activities, and on the day of the incident, the building was evacuated due to “mining”. As a result, Strelkov performed elsewhere.