– He was paranoid for a while

Well-known ultra-nationalist military blogger Igor Girkin has been arrested by Russian police, his wife says.

Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, helped when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014. He later helped organize and found pro-Russian militia groups in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier this year he announced he was entering politics and has become increasingly critical of President Vladimir Putin. The alleged arrest caused a reaction from Lieutenant General Arne Bord-Dalhough.

– I think it’s time, from the point of view of Putin and those close to him, to tighten up more after the rebellion of the Wagner group and Yevgeny Prigozhin a month ago. It is now clear that there are limits to what ultra-nationalists can say, Dalhaug tells Dagbladet.

– I hope it’s a sign

It is not surprising that, as a result of the attack, there were attempts to tighten freedom of expression. The team describes Putin’s move as follows:

It is a strong and clear signal to the ultra-nationalist environment that there are limits to what can be said. Putin hopes this is a signal that will put more restraint on this group, dampening critical voices that have gotten a bit stronger lately.

Dalhaug further demonstrates that Girkin could become a central political player in the post-Putin era, once he becomes president. He still does not consider the ultra-nationalist a true contender for the role of president.

– It will endanger the whole world

He considers it possible that Putin is nevertheless trying to solve two of his challenges at the same time by arresting Girkin.

– It is plausible that Putin wants to kill two birds with one stone with this arrest. What happened now is indicative of the divisions in how the war is viewed, not least in how the war is won. It is difficult to know whether Putin himself is in danger, but there is no doubt that he has changed his behavior in a number of areas, which indicates that he is concerned about the support of the population, Dalhough believes.

Interest in power play

The lieutenant-general explains that especially after the attempted coup, in which Prigozhin and the Wagner Group went into armed rebellion against the Russian defense leadership, there were changes in the chief. He believes there is reason to believe that Putin trusts the Russian Security Service (FSB) less than before.

– If he did not have confidence in his secret service once, then what does that have to do with the power relationship within the Kremlin?

– I think Putin has been paranoid for some time. All Russian history indicates that you cannot trust anyone as long as you are a tsar. Putin probably knows that well. So, he’s probably someone familiar with the power play in the Kremlin, what it was like and how it was under it, says Dalhough, and adds:

– It is not a new phenomenon in Russia that a bad war often caused great troubles for the tsar. The war that we are witnessing now did not strengthen Putin in any way, on the contrary, it was bad propaganda for him.