Pro-Kremlin Lawyer Breaks with Putin, Calls Him War Criminal

0:00On March 18th, a former pro-Cremlin lawyer named Ilya Remeslo has stunned Russia's online world by publicly breaking with Vladimir Putin. The 42-year-old, once known for targeting critics like Alexey Navalny, posted a manifesto to his 90,000 telegram followers. Titled five reasons why he stopped supporting Putin, it called the president illegitimate and demanded his resignation. Remeslo slammed the war in Ukraine as a failure with massive casualties and no gains, while blaming Putin for wrecking the economy and clinging to, power for over two decades. In a follow-up interview from his St. Petersburg apartment, he went further, labeling Putin a war criminal whose corrupt system is collapsing. Reactions poured in fast, with confusion rippling through pro-war circles where open criticism of Putin is rare. Some suspected a hack or Kremlin stunt to smoke out the centers, while others wondered about a personal breakdown. Even opposition figures like Leonid Volkov, a past target of Remeslo, called it unprecedented,

1:01crossing every red line. Remeslo doubled down with a video confirming his words, insisting as genuine and not staged. He revealed pressure from security services to delete the posts and said many in his circle feel the same amid war fatigue and recent internet, blackouts. This rare outburst highlights growing cracks in Putin's support base as economic strains mount, though experts see his grip on power holding firm for. Now, Remeslo says he's ready for whatever comes next.