Igor Girkin

"There were no policemen who supported our side at that time. The only law-enforcement subdivision that has joined our ranks back then was the Berkut. The rest of the law-enforcement agencies remained under control of Ukrainian Ministry of Internal, and kept carrying out the MIA’s orders. Yes, sometimes they were sabotaging these orders, but all in all they were under Ukrainian control. I haven’t seen any support from official governmental representatives in Simferopol. Our troops had to force the deputies into the Oblast Council hall so that these representatives would vote in favor of our initiatives. I know this because I have been at the time commandeering one of such militant teams and I’ve seen it all from the inside. We had absolutely no support from the people, not to mention the army. The Ukrainian army units remained loyal to Kyiv as they were. Furthermore, most of the army remained that way. The only thing that made what we have accomplished in Crimea possible was the presence of Russian army."

"I was the one who pulled the trigger of this war."

"If our unit hadn't crossed the border, everything would have fizzled out."

"There would have been several dozen killed, burned, detained. And that would have been the end of it. But the flywheel of the war, which is continuing to this day, was spun by our unit. We mixed up all the cards on the table."

"Ukrainian military men said to me why are you sitting like cowards, go out into the field, don’t hide behind civilians. Well sorry! Go out into the field to be killed? I’m not Don Quixote, after all!"

"29 days of the special operation have passed. No strategic success has been achieved in any direction."

"Even more : The enemy is quite successful in mobilizing and launching a counter-offensive."

"To my regret, I have to say that my most pessimistic predictions that we will be dragged into a bloody, long, draining and highly dangerous mess for the Russian Federation have come true."

"Putin and his circle have recently embarked on a path that I believe will inevitably lead to a collapse of the system. We don’t know how yet, we don’t know when yet, but we’re sure it will collapse, and sooner rather than later."

"For them, I’m an uncomfortable figure. They don’t know what to do with me: am I a hero or a terrorist? They can’t arrest me and put me in jail because that would be considered an admission to the West. To honor me Neither can they, so I’m caught between the chairs."

"We must ask ourselves, does the superiority of the Russian Federation’s armed forces in aviation and heavy weapons guarantee victory over an enemy, for whom our offensive plans are obvious, which is prepared for defense and has high morale? My answer is NO — there is no guarantee."

"Without at least a partial mobilization in the Russian Federation, it will be impossible and highly dangerous to launch a deep strategic offensive against the so-called ‘Ukraine.’ We must prepare for a long and difficult war."

"If our forces advance at the speed of a limping invalid this could take a long time."

"Let's imagine for a second, that in the next few weeks the enemy will be after all defeated through continuous frontal and flank attacks, and completely pushed out of [Donbas] borders. And? What will this achieve? Will this end the war? No, not at all."

"When [Russian troops] weakened in heavy fights and bloody assaults reach the borders of [Donbas], they will be met by fresh and well-equipped [Ukrainian] units at frontiers prepared for defence in advance."

"Even if those fresh units for whatever reason decide not to take over the initiative and begin a counter-offensive - still the Russian Federation will face a perspective of a long positional war, which is nearly fatal (in current conditions) to our economy, social and socio-political situation."

"It's meaningless to hope for victory through attrition taking into account that almost all of Europe and North America are acting as a rear for [Ukraine]."

"Thus, it will be necessary to try and defeat the enemy in field battles. And, excuse me, with whom, and with what?! If so far not even the partial mobilisation has been carried out?! No one is giving clear answers to these questions. Simply because there aren't any."

"The war in Ukraine will continue until the complete defeat of Russia. We have already lost, the rest is just a matter of time."

"The majority of mobilized (and most of the regular) servicemen of the RF Armed Forces have no motivation to sacrifice in the conduct of hostilities against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since the goals of the war are not only not explained by the authorities, but are not even officially defined at all. At the same time, the disciplinary measures that are at the disposal of the command of the RF Armed Forces “according to the laws of peacetime” are not enough to make military personnel fear them more than death and injury from enemy fire."

"I am not afraid to say that we are moving toward military defeat."

"Our commander in chief is not going to win this war at all."

"Whatever victories our army achieves in this war, we are going to lose it with this kind of approach of the country's leadership."

"He's never seen a tank except in a parade, what's wrong with his head? He's really acting not even like an old man, but like a child."

"For 23 years, the country was led by a lowlife who managed to ‘blow dust in the eyes’ of a significant part of the population. Now he is the last island of legitimacy and stability of the state. But the country will not be able to withstand another six years of this cowardly bum in power."

"I consider myself more competent in military affairs than the current president, and certainly than the current minister of defense, therefore I could fulfill the duties of the supreme commander in chief as required by the Constitution of the Russian Federation."

"My arrest happened a month after Prigozhin's rebellion. My biggest fear is that instead of the usual criminal punishment, I will be "amnestied" in the same way as the Cook."

"Once the indictment is pronounced, I have no place on Earth where I would be recognized as a law-abiding citizen. In the West, I have already been recognized as a terrorist after the verdict of the Hague Tribunal. And in my homeland, apparently, a dubious reputation as an extremist awaits me."

"I have always believed that Russian blood should be shed exclusively for Russia, for the interests of the Russian people, and not for the selfish deeds of Russian oligarchs and political adventurers. Therefore, my attitude towards Prigozhin is purely negative."

"The war has passed the 21st month, there is no end in sight."

"I am of sound mind and memory, I really want to participate in the presidential elections, in case the opportunity presents itself, which is extremely unlikely."