Russian general arrested for fraud after complaining about army problems
Russian Major General Ivan Popov has been arrested on charges of fraud after he was fired for speaking out about the Russian army's problems in Ukraine, the Russian Astra Telegram channel reported on May 21.
Popov is accused of illegally selling two thousand tons of metal structures intended for use in the construction of a defense line in the war zone, worth about 100 million rubles ($1.1 million).
The arrest is believed to be connected to a conflict that occurred in July 2023 when Popov, then commander of the 58th Army, while giving a report to the Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, voiced concerns about the need to rotate Russian troops in the southern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhya Oblast amid Kyiv's counteroffensive.
Read also: Another top official arrested in Russian Defense Ministry bribery purge
Popov claimed that he was relieved of command after taking his complaints "to the very top" and "identifying all the problematic issues" of the Russian army.
Last July, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote that the Russian military command found itself embroiled in a crisis of insubordination that could had have far-reaching implications for the occupying army. Speculations regarding dismissals, suspensions, and potential arrests of commanders from highly trained units within the Russian Federation were circulating within the pro-war community in Russia.
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