A Russian general who criticized the nation’s Ministry of Defense may soon be reinstated to the front lines of the war in Ukraine this week, according to a report from CNN.
General Major Ivan Popov once commanded
Russia’s 58th Army
before being sidelined, accused of fraud, and detained after blasting Russian military leadership in 2023. His lawyer and the Ministry of Defense called for him to be put in command of one of Russia’s infamous detachments of ex-convicts, forces that have sustained massive casualties in the war against Ukraine.
“We, together with the Ministry of Defense, have a motion to suspend on the case… with the positive decision to send Ivan to [Ukraine],” the lawyer, Sergei Buinovsky, said, according to Russian media.
Popov published an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, asking the leader to reinstate him to military service in order to suspend his criminal trial.
ZELENSKYY CLAIMS ‘RUSSIAN NARRATIVES ARE PREVAILING’ IN US DURING ’60 MINUTES’ INTERVIEW
Former defense intelligence officer and author of “Putin’s Playbook” Rebekah Koffler says Putin may intervene in the case to ensure Popov is deployed to Ukraine.
READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP
“Putin routinely weighs in on high-profile cases, especially when Western media is involved,” Koffler told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“Putin is unpredictable – he may decide to let the process run its course and have Popov serve a prison sentence or he may decide to send him into the meat grinder in Ukraine and serve the ‘Russian motherland,’ making a propaganda case out of it, since Popov asked for it,” she added.
The assignment to a penal detachment is arguably a death sentence, however, as Russia’s military has routinely used ex-convict forces to conduct near-suicidal missions in the
war against Ukraine,
leading to high casualty rates.
TRUMP’S REPRESENTATIVE MEETS WITH PUTIN IN RUSSIA WHILE TRUMP IS ANGRY ABOUT DELAYED UKRAINIAN PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
In my letter to Putin, I stated that I faced an unfair prosecution,” Popov wrote. “My desire remains to keep fighting against the adversary as per the vow I made.
Popov’s attorney, Sergei Buinovskiy, informed Russian press that Popov expressed gratitude for the confidence the president had bestowed upon him.
As the leader of Russia’s 58th Army, Popov commanded approximately 50,000 soldiers. In contrast, the unit he might shortly head probably consists of only a few hundred personnel.
Leading the 58th Army, Popov became popular among frontline soldiers by successfully fending off a Ukrainian counter-offensive that significantly depended on tanks supplied by
NATO countries.
He subsequently criticized Russia’s leading military officers for permitting Ukraine’s early advances.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces were unable to breach our frontline troops, but our top commander betrayed us from behind, deceitfully and despicably beheading the army during the most challenging and critical juncture,” Popov stated about Russian military chief-of-staff Valery Gerasimov back then.
Popov was quickly transferred to Syria prior to facing fraud allegations in court. He refuted any misconduct and maintained numerous supporters in Moscow who echoed his critiques of Russian military leadership.
Original article source:
Russian general who condemned the leadership might soon command a unit consisting of former convicts, according to a lawyer.
