- Senior Russian General Dismissed: Ivan Popov removed from position after revealing frontline situation
- Alleged Issues Raised: Lack of counter-battery systems and military intelligence among concerns
- Accusations of Mutiny: Popov accuses senior commanders of orchestrating his dismissal
A senior Russian general claims he has been removed from his position in Ukraine after informing his superiors of the perilous frontline situation.
Ivan Popov commanded the 58th Army, which was engaged in combat in the southern Zaporizhia region.
Maj. Gen. Popov stated in a voicemail that he inquired about the high casualty rate and absence of artillery support.
“It was either necessary to remain silent and be a coward, or to state the truth,” he said.
“I had no right to lie in your name or the names of my fallen comrades-in-arms, so I outlined all of the existing problems.”
Russian MP Andrei Gurulyov, a former military commander and frequent state TV commentator, sent the audible message via telegram. Uncertain as to when the message was recorded.
Among the issues that Maj. Gen. Popov reportedly brought to the attention of his superiors the lack of adequate counter-battery systems to assist in repelling Ukrainian artillery attacks, as well as a dearth of military intelligence.
The commander stated that his dismissal was demanded by senior commanders, whom he accused of mutiny, and approved by Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister.
General Valery Gerasimov, the commander-in-chief of the Russian armed forces, reportedly issued the order to terminate Maj. Gen. Popov, according to Russian military bloggers, is frequently the most reliable source of information in the absence of official Moscow statements.
Gen Gerasimov allegedly accused Maj Gen Popov of “alarmism and blackmailing senior management” after Maj Gen Popov emphasized the need to rotate personnel who had been on the front lines for an extended period and suffered significant losses.
Maj. Gen. Popov stated, “The senior chiefs perceived that I posed some sort of threat and, in just one day, concocted an order from the defense minister to get rid of me.”
“The Ukrainian army was unable to break through our ranks at the front, but our senior commander struck from behind, brutally beheading the army at the most critical and intense time.”
The Russian Ministry of Defence has not yet commented on the dismissal.
A senior official of the pro-government party United Russia, of which Mr. Gurulyov is a member, criticized the lawmaker for making a “political show” of Maj. Gen. Popov’s comments.
“General Popov’s statement was not made public and was posted on closed chats of the commanders and troops of the 58th Army,” Andrei Turchak wrote via telegram.
“Let the fact that… Gurulyov somehow got a hold of this and made a political show out of it remains on his conscience,” he said, adding that Maj. Gen. Popov’s conscience was clean and the nation could be proud of commanders like him.
Zaporizhzhia and the eastern Donetsk region have become the focus of Ukraine’s over-a-month-old counteroffensive, which has struggled to penetrate well-established Russian defensive lines.
Another Russian lawmaker stated on Wednesday that former Russian commander General Sergei Surovikin, who has not been seen in public since the Wagner mutiny, was “resting.”
Gen Surovikin was rumored to have close ties to the former Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, and media reports indicated that he had been detained following the brief revolt.
No official confirmation or comment has been made regarding his whereabouts.
Lt. Gen. Oleg Tsokov, a second senior Russian general, was reportedly killed in a strike on Ukraine’s occupied southern coast this week, although Russia’s defense ministry has not verified his death.
