A prominent Russian military blogger has been arrested after criticising Vladimir Putin’s handling of the war in Ukraine.

Igor Girkin, who is also a former intelligence officer, has been accused of “extremism” by the Kremlin.

If convicted, he could face five years in prison.

UK intelligence said Girkin has “long been a critic of the Russian Ministry of Defence’s conduct of the war”.

“However, in recent days his comments turned to direct criticism of Russian president Vladimir Putin and his time in power,” the latest update from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) added.

“The move is likely to infuriate fellow members of the mil-blogger community – and elements within the serving military – who largely see Girkin as an astute military analyst and patriot.”

The MoD said Girkin had “played a major role in Russia’s war in the Donbas from 2014 and spent months on the front line in 2022”.

They added that last month’s failed mutiny attempt by the Wagner Group had likely emboldened Putin’s critics to speak out.

“The taboo against unmasked criticism of the Putin regime has significantly weakened,” the MoD said.

Referring to Putin, Girkin wrote earlier this week: “The country won’t survive another six years with this talentless coward in power.”

The Times reported that Girkin, who is also known as Igor Strelkov, was found guilty last year by a court in the Hague of shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, causing the death of all 298 people on board.

With Russia refusing to extradite him, he was sentenced to life in prison in his absence.

Russia is being forced to use 60-year-old tanks because of the heavy losses it has sustained in the Ukraine war.

According to the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), the “vintage” T-62 vehicles have been brought out of storage and re-purposed so they can be sent into battle.

Armoured personnel carriers dating back to 1954 have also been deployed by Russia, the MoD said in its latest intelligence update.

It emerged yesterday that Russian reservists are being sent to war armed with shovels.

“The Russian military has continued to respond to heavy armoured vehicle losses by deploying 60-year-old T-62 main battle tanks (MBT),” the MoD said.

“There is a realistic possibility that even units of the 1st Guards Tank Army, supposedly Russia’s premier tank force, will be re-equipped with T-62s to make up for previous losses.”

The update went on: “In recent days, Russian BTR-50 armoured personnel carriers, first fielded in 1954, have also been identified deployed in Ukraine for the first time.

“Since summer 2022, approximately 800 T-62s have been taken from storage and some have received upgraded sighting systems which will highly likely improve their effectiveness at night.

“However, both these vintage vehicle types will present many vulnerabilities on the modern battlefield, including the absence of modern explosive reactive armour.”

In their update yesterday, the MoD said Russian mobilised reservists were “ordered to assault a Ukrainian concrete strong point armed with only ‘firearms and shovels’”.

One reservist described being “neither physically nor psychologically” prepared for the brutality of arm-to-arm combat.

The MoD said the shovels were likely MPL-50 “entrenching tools being employed for hand-to-hand combat”.

“Little changed since it was designed in 1869, its continued use as a weapon highlights the brutal and low-tech fighting which has come to characterise much of the war,” the intelligence update said.

Migrant workers are being prevented from leaving Russia so they can be enlisted in the army according to British officials.

The Ministry of Defence suggested the move was part of efforts by Moscow to ensure there is a “high number of personnel” available to be enlisted.

In their latest intelligence update on the war in Ukraine – which reaches its first anniversary next month – the MoD also said the Kremlin policy of “partial mobilisation” remains in place.

That was set up last September and saw 300,000 reservists called up to the Russian army.

According to the MoD, media reported on January 22 that migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan with dual passports were prevented from leaving Russia because “their names were on mobilisation lists”.

“Separately, on January 23, 2023, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the decree on ‘partial mobilisation’ continues to remain in force, claiming the decree remained necessary for supporting the work of the armed forces,” the MoD update said.

“Observers had questioned why the measure had not been formally rescinded.

“The Russian leadership highly likely continues to search for ways to meet the high number of personnel required to resource any future major offensive in Ukraine, while minimising domestic dissent.”

It was revealed over the weekend that mandatory military training will be introduced in Russian secondary schools from September.

Two weeks ago it also emerged that Russia could increase the age limit for army conscripts in an attempt to boost the size of its military.

The current age limit for routine military conscription in Russia is 27.

But Andrey Kartapolov, the head of the Russian State Duma Defence Committee, proposed increasing that to 30.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has claimed Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him last year as he made a last-ditch attempt to prevent the invasion of Ukraine.

The new commander of the Russian army in Ukraine has faced pushback over his attempt to clamp down on “non-standard haircuts” among his troops, the UK has claimed.

General Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff and the newly appointed commander in Ukraine, has reportedly started off his new job by trying to “improve deployed troops’ day-to-day discipline”.

In its daily update, the UK’s ministry of defence (MoD) alleged that Gerasimov was looking to target “non-regulation uniform, travel in civilian vehicles, the use of mobile phones, and non-standard haircuts”.

However, the MoD claimed: “The measures have been met with sceptical feedback.”

The UK officials suggested that “some of the greatest derision has been reserved for attempts to improve the standard of troops’ shaving”.

It continued: “Officials in the Donetsk People’s Republic described the prioritisation of a ‘farce’ that would ‘hamper the process of destroying the enemy’.”

The Donetsk People’s Republic has been controlled by Russian separatists since 2014, but it was one of four Ukrainian regions to be illegally annexed by Vladimir Putin back in September.

A proxy private military company, the Wagner group, perceived as an informal arm of the Russian state, also pushed back against the new rules.

The MoD claimed Wagner owner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, lashed out at the official advice from the Kremlin, saying: “War is the time of the active and courageous, and not of the clean-shaven.”

The UK officials also pointed out: “The Russian force continues to endure operational deadlock and heavy casualties; Gerasimov’s prioritisation of largely minor regulations is likely to confirm the fears of his many sceptics in Russia.

“Along with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, he is increasingly seen as out of touch and focused on presentation over substance.”

This is just the latest sign that all is not well within the Russian army ranks.

Reports of low morale, poorly equipped soldiers and a distinct lack of training for the newly recruited troops from Putin’s partial mobilisation in the autumn have been circulating for months.

According to previous claims from the MoD, Russia is even using “poorly-training convicts” to bolster its armed forces.

And by February 24, the war – which the Kremlin expected to last just a matter of days – will have stretched out to a year, with just 15% of Ukrainian land under Russian control.

The appointment of Gerasimov to lead the campaign in Ukraine was seen as a sign that Russia was trying a new tactic to turn the war in its favour.

He replaced General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed General Armageddon for his brutal strategies, who will now serve as Gerasmiov’s deputy.

Vladimir Putin has replaced the army chief in charge of Russian troops in Ukraine because his invasion of the country is failing, according to UK intelligence.

Chief of the general staff (CGS) Valery Gerasimov, the head of the Russian military, has taken over from General Sergei Surovikin, who will now be one of his three deputies.

In their latest intelligence update on the war, the Ministry of Defence said: “This is a significant development in Russian president Vladimir Putin’s approach to managing the war.

“The deployment of the CGS as theatre commander is an indicator of the increasing seriousness of the situation Russia is facing, and a clear acknowledgement that the campaign is falling short of Russia’s strategic goals.”

The MoD also said the surprise move “is likely to be greeted with extreme displeasure by much of the Russian ultra-nationalist and military blogger community, who have increasingly blamed Gerasimov for the poor execution of the war”.

They said that in contrast, Surovikin “has been widely praised by this community for his championing of a more realistic approach”.

The changes are further evidence of Russia’s struggles in Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Kyiv denied Russia’s claim that it had killed more than 600 Ukrainian troops in a deadly attack.

Russia claimed that this was its “retaliatory strike” for the New Year’s Day attack, which Moscow says killed 89 of its own soldiers while they were in a Russian base.

It came after Vladimir Putin suggested a 36-hour ceasefire last week, so Russian citizens could mark the Orthodox Christmas, although shelling began very soon after.

Ukraine’s military intelligence has also alleged that Russia is looking to mobilise as many as 500,000 conscripts in mid-January, on top of the 300,000 brought into the army back in October.

Russia has denied any plans for a second wave of mobilisation – it’s worth noting that the September call-up sparked protests across the country.

A lot has been happening between Ukraine and Russia recently.

Kyiv is successfully pushing back the frontline of the war, forcing Russia’s troops off Ukrainian land. Meanwhile, Moscow is upping the ante through more and more extreme measures.

Here’s what you need to know about all the latest developments.

Russian president, Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilisation” for the country’s reserve troops on September 21.

This was meant to enlist 300,000 men with previous military experience to boost the Russian forces, although the official decree did not specify a required figure.

But just a week later, Putin announced there would be “corrections” to the call-out after there were reports that people with no experience or those beyond the draft age have been called up.

He said: “For example, I’m thinking of fathers of many children, or people suffering from chronic diseases, or those who are already past conscription age.”

Now he has deferred conscription for additional categories of students, too.

More than 200,000 people have already been drafted in, according to the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, Russians have allegedly been fleeing the country in droves to avoid being called up to war and anti-war protests have broken out all over Russia. Data shared by Bloomberg.com revealed that 400,000 Russians have escaped to nearby states.

According to OVD-Info, 2,418 people were detained for protesting against mobilisation between September 21 and 26.

Moscow annexed four regions of Ukraine last week, after holding sham referendums in each area – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk.

Putin has since claimed that all four regions wanted to join Russia, although almost the entire international community still believes these areas are part of Ukraine.

And, in claiming the land for Russia without Ukraine’s permission, Putin has officially broken international law.

However, Russia does not control any of these areas completely – many pockets are still rebelling against Moscow rule. As a result, Russia has still not entirely confirmed where it thinks its new borders are, especially as Ukraine continues to reclaim land.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to give a solid answer about where the borders of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions should be following the annexations.

Asked by CNN, he said: “I will leave this question unanswered.”

He then added: “But I repeat once again: certain territories there will be returned and we will continue to consult with the population, that expresses a desire to live in Russia.”

This is only made more confusing by the decision to include these annexed areas in the Russian TV weather forecasts.

Ukraine has reclaimed astounding quantities of land in the east over the last few weeks, amid claims that Russian soldiers fled or surrendered.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has remained confident about Ukraine’s success, believing the whole country – including the annexed land – can be reclaimed.

But, as Zelenskyy, noted, this reclaimed land is severely damaged.

He shared images of the recently liberated city of Lyman, showing how – even where Ukrainians comfortably declared victory – there is extensive tragedy left.

Zelenskyy wrote: “Our Lyman after the occupier. All basics of life have been destroyed here. They are doing so everywhere in the territories they seize.”

The 27 states of the bloc all agreed to a sanctions package on Wednesday. This is part of the ongoing sanctions meant to reduce Putin’s ability to attack Ukraine by reducing its income and forcing it to sell its oil abroad for less.

It’s also the eighth round of sanctions from the EU since Moscow invaded in February, signed off on Wednesday.

In response, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen wrote: “We will never accept Putin’s sham referenda nor any kind of annexation in Ukraine. We are determined to continue making the Kremlin pay.”

The West in general is also trying to reduce its reliance on exported Russian fossil fuels, so that Moscow can no longer use it for leverage.

Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant is still in the line of fire. Russia have attempted to annexe the region, and it has been occupied since the start of the war, although the plant itself is still operated by Ukrainian technicians.

Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi is also expected to visit the Kremlin to discuss de-escalating the situation.

Ukraine’s government of Zaporizhzhia said this week that, “the enemy fired rockets at the regional centre and the outskirts of the city” during the night, meaning “infrastructure facilities were destroyed”.

Former RAF Air Marshal Edward Stringer told Sky News that Putin’s continued attacks on the region meant Putin was trying to “keep the world worried” about his aggression, and “employing terror against the civilian population.”

Despite these attacks near the power plant, the Kremlin has promised it is “fully committed” to not fighting a nuclear war.

It’s worth remembering, only last month Putin promised he was “not bluffing” when it came to using “all the means available to us” to win the war.

Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, said Washington’s attempts to send more military aid to Ukraine were only increasing military tensions between Russia and the West.

He added that this was an “immediate threat” to Moscow, adding: “We call on Washington to stop its provocative actions that could lead to the most serious consequences.”

Moscow also warned that the US is a “participant of the conflict” after Washington announced it was sending another $625 million (£547 million) in military aid to Ukraine, along with advanced US weaponry.

In total, Washington committed nearly $17 billion (£15.15 billion) in military support since the war began.