Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Top General's Dismissal Reveals New Crack in Russian Military Leadership
By admin
Published 2 years ago on
July 13, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A Russian general in charge of forces fighting in southern Ukraine has been relieved of his duties after speaking out about the problems faced by his troops in a move that reflected new fissures in the Russian military command following a brief rebellion by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov, the commander of the 58th Army fighting in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, which is a focal point in the Ukrainian counteroffensive, said in an audio statement to his troops released late Wednesday that he was dismissed after a meeting with the top military brass in what he described as a “treacherous” stab in the back to the Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

Popov said that the military leadership was angered by his frank talk about the challenges faced by his forces, particularly the shortage of radars tracking enemy artillery, which resulted in massive Russian casualties.

“The top officers apparently saw me as a source of threat and rapidly issued an order to get rid of me, which was signed by the defense minister in just one day,” he said. “The Ukrainian military has failed to break through our army’s defenses, but the top commander hit us in the rear, treacherously and cowardly beheading the army at this most difficult moment.”

Popov, who uses the call name Spartacus, addressed his troops as “my gladiators” in the audio message released by retired Gen. Andrei Gurulev, who commanded the 58th Army in the past and currently serves as a lawmaker. The 58th Army consists of several divisions and smaller units.

The 48-year-old Popov, who has risen from a platoon commander to lead a large group of forces, has encouraged his soldiers to come directly to him with any problems — an easygoing approach that contrasted sharply with a stiff formal style of command common for the Russian military. Military bloggers say he’s widely known for doing his best to avoid unnecessary losses — unlike many other commanders who were eager to sacrifice their soldiers to report successes.

“I faced a difficult situation with the top leadership when I had to either keep silent and act like a coward, saying what they wanted to hear, or call things by their names,” Popov said. “I didn’t have the right to lie for the sake of you and our fallen comrades.”

Other Russian Leaders Back Ousted General’s Views

In a sign that many in Russian officialdom share Popov’s criticism of the top military brass, Andrei Turchak, the first deputy speaker of the upper house of parliament who heads the main Kremlin party United Russia, strongly backed the general, saying that “the Motherland can be proud of such commanders.”

Andrei Kartapolov, a retired general who heads the defense affairs committee in the lower house, also said that the Defense Ministry should deal with the issues raised by Popov.

The news about Popov’s dismissal added to the blow that Russian troops facing the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south received on Tuesday when another senior officer, Lt. Gen. Oleg Tsokov, was killed by a Ukrainian missile strike.

Russian military bloggers said that Popov’s remarks, in which he also spoke about the need to rotate his troops, which have been fighting to repel a Ukrainian counteroffensive since early June, angered General Staff chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov, who promptly ordered his dismissal.

Gerasimov was shown meeting with military officers in a video released by the Defense Ministry on Monday, the first time he was seen since last month’s abortive rebellion by Prigozhin, who demanded his ouster.

Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, noted that Popov’s statement echoed criticism of the top brass by Prigozhin. However, he added that the general’s statement wasn’t a rebellion, but instead a call for Putin’s help.

“Such public disputes at the top of the Russian army isn’t a show of force,” he said.

During the revolt that lasted less than 24 hours, mercenaries from Prigozhin’s Wagner Group quickly swept through the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and captured the military headquarters there without firing a shot before driving to within about 200 kilometers (125 miles) of Moscow.

Prigozhin called his mercenaries back to their camps after striking a deal to end the rebellion in exchange for an amnesty for him and his mercenaries and permission to move to Belarus.

The rebellion represented the biggest threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power and badly dented his authority, even though Prigozhin said that the uprising wasn’t aimed against the president but intended to force the ouster of Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whose handling of the action in Ukraine he has criticized.

On Monday, the Kremlin confirmed that Prigozhin and 34 of his top officers met with Putin on June 29, five days after the rebellion, a startling announcement that raised new questions about the terms of the deal with Wagner. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wagner’s commanders pledged loyalty to the president and said they were ready “to continue to fight for the Motherland.”

Putin has said that Wagner troops had to choose whether to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry, move to Belarus or retire from service. While details of the deal with Prigozhin have remained murky, uncertainty also has surrounded the fate of Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine who reportedly had been detained for questioning about his ties to Prigozhin.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that mercenaries of the Wagner Group were completing the handover of their weapons to the Russian military, part of the Kremlin’s efforts to defuse the threat it posed.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Iranian State TV Halts Live Broadcast After Israeli Strike

Inside Trump’s Extraordinary Turnaround on Immigration Raids

9 hours ago

Trump Approval Steady at 42%, Support Weakens for His Immigration Policy, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

9 hours ago

Madera County Wildfire Prompts Evacuation Warnings, Road Closures

A wildfire burning near Raymond Road and Avenue 16 in Madera County has prompted evacuation warnings and road closures, authorities said Mon...

8 hours ago

A wildfire near Raymond Road and Avenue 16 in Madera County has prompted evacuation warnings and road closures as officials urge residents to prepare to leave if threatened on Monday, June 16, 2025. (Madera County SO)
8 hours ago

Madera County Wildfire Prompts Evacuation Warnings, Road Closures

Sanger police are searching for Kaylani Thompson, 17, who went missing Saturday, June 14, 2025, after leaving her home and was last seen getting into a white sedan. (Sanger PD)
8 hours ago

Sanger Police Seek Public’s Help to Find Missing Teen

A view of the cityscape in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
8 hours ago

Trump Says Everyone Should Immediately Evacuate Tehran

9 hours ago

Inside Trump’s Extraordinary Turnaround on Immigration Raids

President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
9 hours ago

Trump Approval Steady at 42%, Support Weakens for His Immigration Policy, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

A person was rescued from a Fresno canal Monday, June 16, 2025, near Dakota and Ninth Street, marking the third such incident in recent days, officials said. (Fresno FD)
9 hours ago

Person Rescued from Fresno Canal, Third Incident in Recent Days

10 hours ago

Arias Dodges Questions About His False Fresno ICE Raid Claim

11 hours ago

Iranian State TV Halts Live Broadcast After Israeli Strike

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend