Girkin and his "Angry Patriots Club" comrades are clearly preparing for the worst, perhaps ready to take power in Russia:
"When it comes to taking part in politics, today we say that the Club is just a collection point for people like that… but in case of worsening of the situation, we’re ready to politicise our potential and act in the framework of a social-political organisation" - says Pavel Gubarev, a prominent Novorossiya terrorist, during a "press-conference" of the Club on 12 May.
This organisation, launched just under two months ago, currently has around 25 members among the more radical Russian activists, including Girkin, Pavel Gubarev, Yuriy Yevych, Vladimir Grubnik, Maksim Kalashnikov, and other individuals known for criticising the actions of Russian authorities in this war. They say they are a mixed bag: national-bolsheviks, national-democrats, communists, and monarchists, but any differences between them are forgotten in favour of one goal - "to win the war".
"[We are] participants of the SMO, non-systemic politicians, and people who have been criticising the authorities for 20 years and saying it’s going the wrong direction", says Gubarev about current members of the Club.
We've seen Girkin doing regular lonely livestreams in the past 15 months, but now, he is ready to act: "...after a series of non-critical defeats, the Russian army is unable to win the war in its current state [...] measures to improve the situation have not been implemented, are not being implemented, and there are no plans to implement them".
As Russia's position in the battlefield deteriorates and Putin's power, despite appearing solid, could be undermined in case of successful Ukrainian counter-offensives, Girkin and his comrades could be preparing to take power if things go really sour in Russia.
For now, Girkin seems less inclined to openly express these desires, saying he would still like the "angry patriots" to assist authorities any way they can. Yet, hints of him joining politics have been voiced on numerous occasions in recent months.
Regardless of their intentions, none of the Club members appear to see a positive outcome for Russian army in the current circumstances: "We came to the line, beyond which there is a feeling of abyss", as Gubarev puts it.
This will indeed be an interesting development to follow in the coming months.
