Vladimir Putin Exposed? Former Ally Demands Russian President Be Tried as a 'War Criminal and a Thief'

Vladimir Putin is facing an unusually public scrutiny from within his own camp after a prominent pro‑Kremlin lawyer used his Telegram channel to denounce the Russian president as 'not a legitimate President' and call for him to be tried 'as a war criminal and a thief', in a move some analysts say could signal growing cracks in Putin's grip on power.

The outburst came from barrister Ilya Remeslo, a once‑loyal Vladimir Putin supporter who has spent years defending the Kremlin line. Remeslo helped spearhead a legal campaign against opposition leader Alexei Navalny and, according to the report, gave evidence for the prosecution at Navalny's 2022 trial before the dissident was transferred to a Siberian penal colony, where he later died.

Remeslo has also publicly backed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and pursued regime critics online, positioning himself firmly among the president's most aggressive defenders.

Vladimir Putin Branded 'War Criminal And Thief' By Former Loyalist

The apparent break with Vladimir Putin surfaced in a message to Remeslo's reported 90,000 Telegram followers titled 'Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin'.

In that statement, he criticised the president's handling of both the Russian economy and the war in Ukraine, before escalating to a direct challenge to Putin's authority.

He declared that Putin was 'not a legitimate President' and went further, insisting, 'Vladimir Putin must resign and be brought to trial as a war criminal and a thief.'

Mark Galeotti, an author and analyst of Russian politics, argued in an opinion piece for the i that Remeslo's revolt hints at a deeper unease within the system.

In an article titled 'Putin's attack dog has turned on him – this could be the beginning of the end', Galeotti suggested that while Remeslo himself 'is not that important', the episode and the fact that 'even the government press has not been able completely to ignore it' point to something more fundamental.

He wrote that the case 'highlights the growing sense that the foundations of the regime are being eroded'.

Galeotti also cited an unnamed, recently retired figure from Putin's administration as saying, 'The reason anyone is paying attention to Remeslo is that they are worried, and so they begin to see plots on every side. None of it is probably true, if people think the ship is sinking, they'll still look for lifeboats.'

Telegram Broadside Deepens Questions Over Vladimir Putin's Authority

Questions about Vladimir Putin's authority intensified after Remeslo's Telegram message, which landed against the backdrop of a grinding war in Ukraine now moving into its fifth year and heightened global fears over a wider conflict.

Shortly after his online broadside, and after reiterating his criticism of the president, Remeslo reportedly admitted himself to Psychiatric Hospital No3. As of this reporting, the source does not offer a clear explanation for this move, nor is there any official medical confirmation.

Some commentators see Remeslo's case as more than a one‑off act of dissent. Speaking to Daily Express US, Russian sociologist and political analyst Igor Eidman portrayed what he called Remeslo's 'mutiny' as evidence of a broader split at the top of Russian politics, particularly among the elite.

He claimed, 'This is a conspiracy by a significant portion of the Russian elite, who are interested in accepting Trump's offer to freeze the war. This group is extremely dissatisfied with Putin's effectively rejecting Trump's extended hand.'

According to the report, Putin's administration and its propagandists continue to issue threats against the West at a moment when public anxiety about a potential World War 3 is described as having reached unprecedented levels.

Among those voices is TV host Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent pro‑Kremlin broadcaster. On his programme Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, he turned his fire on England, arguing that Russia should lift tactics from Iran and use proxies to strike Western targets instead of acting directly.

'When you give an example of England, or our threats to bomb factories, I always say let's borrow the best ideas from Iran and act through proxies,' he said.

He went on, 'We currently have these kinds of proxies, like Iran itself. We don't have to bang these factories ourselves; it would be too provocative. It's war, after all. So let's pretend, like you say, with tankers. Let our proxies carry out the strikes.'