Retired Russian Col. Gen.: Everything in Russia Is In Bad Shape

Leonid Ivashov, a retired Russian Colonel General, recently said out loud what most people are purportedly thinking in the Kremlin. He basically said everything is in bad shape.

He said Russia is lonely on the world stage (only a handful of countries even talk to us at the UN), and we’ve lost our influence over our neighbors. He even compares Putin’s era to the start of the Soviet collapse under Gorbachev.

Russia doesn’t sound like a world power if the Colonel General is correct. The problem is that Russia has nuclear weapons.

The Transcript

The transcript for the segment of Russian retired General Ivashov’s video where he critiques the “staged spectacle” of Putin’s press conference is as follows:

Critique of the “Spectacle”:

“The direction, the concept of this conference, the expected result, and the overall staging were brilliant. I don’t know who directed it—the lead director was obviously [Dmitry] Peskov and the moderators—but someone behind the scenes did a brilliant job.

Putin’s attire was brilliant: a wonderful suit, a tie, and his legs were hidden—the ones he usually twitches, especially when he’s nervous. Everything was brilliantly organised.

Furthermore, the questions were rehearsed by both sides. Putin essentially knew the vast majority of the questions. There were maybe three or four questions that were unexpected for him, but otherwise, everything was rehearsed.

He knew them, and he knew how to answer. They were glancing at notes, and the moderators were jumping in with comments—everything was perfect.

As I said, only three or four questions were unexpected:

One was from a Serbian journalist who asked a specific question: ‘We allowed Gazprom to create a joint Russian-Serbian company to sell gas, but now, due to sanctions, Gazprom isn’t supplying anything, and we aren’t working. This gas is vital for Serbia. Perhaps Gazprom could sell us its share so we can avoid sanctions and continue supplying gas to Europe?’ Putin completely diverted the topic to something else.

The second was the BBC; they had two questions, specifically about ‘foreign agents.’ Look at how Putin answered: harshly, even insolently. He said, ‘We took this from you; even before the war, in the 20s and 30s, you were catching your own,’ and so on. Why this historical detour? He admitted it’s the worst [type of law], yet says ‘we took it from you.’ When asked why these messages are being shut down, he basically said, ‘Observe our laws; we have a democracy, follow the law, and everything will be fine.’

A French journalist also asked an uncomfortable question. But there is another very important point—whether Putin knew this or not: the problems of the regions were being displayed constantly and regularly. They showed what the main issues were across all Russian regions. It must be noted—even in our shared hope that the government might fix things—that the number one issue in almost every region was pension provision.

These 16,500 rubles [$208] that the government proudly presented and the President advertised as if it’s everything… [Finance Minister] Siluanov even said that all pensioners can afford long trips abroad and so on. This theme came to the surface because when you actually calculate it, even if someone gets 17,000—a dog couldn’t survive on that. Maybe a cat would, but a beloved dog wouldn’t. And people are screaming about this. They spoke very politely, but the issues were pensions, followed by healthcare and taxes.

People who actually earn something showed, for example, a small café run by a family of three, saying, ‘We created this, but the taxes are suffocating us.’

Then there was the issue of transport—not as acute, but expressed vividly—and of course, the housing problem is very sharp.

And finally: rising prices, rising prices, rising prices—or ‘inflation,’ as they tease it. So, in that regard, I say the spectacle was brilliant. Brilliant.”

Leonid Ivashov, a heavy-hitting retired Russian Colonel General, recently went rogue and started saying out loud what most people in the Kremlin only dare to whisper. He didn’t hold back, basically calling things out for being a mess.

The Big Picture: “We’re in Trouble”
Ivashov… pic.twitter.com/socW3SAt8T

— Yasmina (@yasminalombaert) December 28, 2025

The transcript for the segment of Russian retired General Ivashov’s video where he critiques the “staged spectacle” of putin’s press conference is as follows:

Critique of the “Spectacle”:

“The direction, the concept of this conference, the expected result, and the overall… pic.twitter.com/3C6AVWKrMd

— Yasmina (@yasminalombaert) December 28, 2025