The Most Scathing Lines From Russian General's Post About Putin's Military

A senior general in command of Russian forces in southern Ukraine said he was removed from his post after he criticized Moscow's Defense Ministry for not providing enough support to his troops.

General Ivan Popov listed his multiple issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin's military in a voice message published Wednesday on Telegram.

Popov commanded the 58th Combined Arms Army, which the Russian independent news outlet Meduza described as "one of the largest and most combat-ready formations in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

The 58th Army has been instrumental in battles in Ukrainian cities like Mariupol and the Zaporizhzhia region during the invasion launched by Putin in February 2022. But the formation has also been hit with a "main blow" of Ukraine's counteroffensive this summer, according to Meduza.

Popov's audio message blasting Putin's military was shared on Telegram by Andrey Gurulev, a Russian parliament (Duma) member and former military commander.

According to translations by Meduza and the independent media project WarTranslated, Popov said in the message that he was removed from his duties after reporting on Russia's "main tragedy" in the war to leaders.

He further described this "tragedy" as "the lack of counter-battery combat, the absence of artillery reconnaissance stations and the mass deaths and injuries of our brothers from enemy artillery."

Addressing Russian soldiers in the 58th directly in his message, he said he had faced a difficult decision in regards to communicating with leadership: "Remaining silent and afraid and saying what they wanted to hear, or calling things for what they are. In your name, in the name of all perished comrades-in-arms, I didn't have the right to lie."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.

Popov added that he"raised a number of other issues" to officials at the "highest levels" and did so "openly and very brutally."

He said his dismissal was demanded by senior commanders from the military and approved by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The general went on to accuse Shoigu and the commanders of treason.

"Due to this, the seniors likely felt some danger in me and instantly, in one day, put together an order to the minister of Defense [Shoigu] and got rid of me," he said.

Popov continued, "The Ukrainian Army could not break through our ranks at the front but our senior chief hit us from the rear, viciously beheading the army at the most difficult and intense moment."

Russian military bloggers, who have become influential in the information space during the war in Ukraine, quickly spread Popov's message. Many of these commentators wrote positively about the general, including the popular blogger Rybar.

"Popov enjoys colossal support from the personnel: The fighters on the front line were greatly demoralized by the news about the dismissal of the 'simple' and 'clear' honest General Popov," Rybar wrote.

Igor Girkin, a former Russian commander who has since become an outspoken critic of how Putin has conducted the war in Ukraine, wrote that Popov's message could damage the Kremlin given his popularity with Russia's military.

"The appeal of the retired commander to the public is...a most dangerous precedent," Girkin said on his Telegram channel.