Russian general who criticised leadership arrested in corruption purge
A Russian general who criticised military leaders over high casualty rates in Ukraine has been arrested on corruption charges, sparking uproar among pro-war bloggers.
Maj Gen Ivan Popov, 49, was sacked in July last year after complaining about the “mass deaths and injuries” of Russian soldiers in Ukraine. He later accused military chiefs of “viciously beheading the army”.
On Tuesday, Russian state media reported that Maj Gen Popov, who once commanded Russia’s 58th Combined Arms Army in Ukraine, had been arrested on suspicion of “large-scale fraud”.
A military court remanded him in custody for two months, the Ria Novosti news agency reported.
Popular with the rank-and-file
Maj Gen Popov was seen as popular with the Russian rank-and-file at a time when they had been heavily criticised by Russia’s military and political leadership for perceived failings in the invasion of Ukraine.
He championed their complaints about lack of equipment, poor reconnaissance and lack of troop rotation, taking them up directly with Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s chief of the general staff.
His arrest has prompted disquiet amongst Russia’s influential military blogging community, which is known to have links with political movers and shakers in Moscow.
Alexander Sladkov, a war correspondent for Russian state television, wrote on the Telegram messaging app: “I know one thing: Ivan was at the head of the forces that repelled the enemy’s counter-offensive.”
‘Popov is a soldier, not a thief’
He added: “Stupid people are forgiven for lies and losses so others, I think, can be forgiven for the ruthless truth. General Ivan Popov is not a thief. He is a soldier. However... we also forgive thieves.”
Responding to the arrest, Yuri Podolyaka, a popular pro-Russian military blogger, said: “Commander Ivan Popov, in the summer of 2023, having built an excellent multi-lane line of defence in the band of his army (unlike many of his allies), in fact, saved our army from defeat and the country from shame.”
Podolyaka added: “Gen Popov had the courage to speak to the very face of his superiors about those things which others, shyly lowering their eyes, preferred to keep silent.”
Since Vladimir Putin’s re-election as president, the Kremlin has launched a major shake-up of the Russian defence ministry, replacing Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, and arresting senior defence officials Timur Ivanov and Yuri Kuznetsov for corruption.