Putin ally calls Russian retreat in Ukraine ‘astounding’

The leader of Chechnya is criticizing the Russian army as it loses occupied territory to a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“It’s a very interesting situation. It’s astounding, I would say,” Ramzan Kadyrov said Sunday in an audio message on the platform Telegram, according to translations from The Guardian. 

An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov noted that Russian forces “have made mistakes” and will likely “draw the necessary conclusions” after Ukraine pushed them into retreat.

Ukraine said it ousted Russian forces from the occupied territories to the northeastern border as Russian strikes caused power outages across the country.

“If today or tomorrow no changes in strategy are made, I will be forced to speak with the leadership of the defense ministry and the leadership of the country to explain the real situation on the ground to them,” Kadyrov said in his message.  

Kadyrov’s criticisms come as nearly 30 Russian municipal deputies signed a petition calling for Putin to resign.

Moscow is known for cracking down hard on dissent and has criminalized what it calls “fake news” about the invasion of Ukraine. Putin has yet to respond to Russia’s unexpected retreat over the weekend or to Kadyrov’s comments.

Kadyrov, appointed by Putin to lead the Russian North Caucasus republic, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2020 for human rights abuses.