Russian military heads betrayed soldiers in Ukraine: general

A Russian general claims he was fired after giving military leadership an honest picture of the dire situation in Ukraine –and alleges that soldiers on the ground have been failed by the top brass.

“It was necessary either to keep quiet and be a coward or to say it the way it is,” Major General Ivan Popov says in a voice recording published by Russian politician Andrew Gurulyov.

Popov, 48, claims in the message that he was axed from his position as the head of the 58th Combined Arms Army in retaliation for raising questions about high casualty rates and a lack of artillery support, the BBC reported.

“I had no right to lie in the name of you, in the name of my fallen comrades in arms, so I outlined all the problems which exist,” he 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.”

Popov added that the order for his dismissal was approved by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who he accused of treason.

“The senior chiefs apparently sensed some kind of danger from me and quickly concocted an order from the defense minister in just one day and got rid of me,” he said.

The Russian defense minister has not commented on the alleged dismissal.

Russian military bloggers, however, have reported that General Staff Valery Gerasimov called for Popov’s firing and accused him of “alarmism and blackmailing senior management,” the BBC said.

Though it is unclear when Popov raised his complaints, they were shared just a few weeks after the June 24 Wagner Group mutiny briefly threatened to topple President Vladimir Putin’s stronghold on the country.

Wagner head honcho Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion erupted after months of complaints about a lack of official support for his mercenaries amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

Andrei Turchak, a senior official in Gurulyov’s pro-government United Russia party, chastised his colleague for making a “political show” of Popov’s statement.

“General Popov’s statement was not public and was posted on closed chats of the commanders and troops of the 58th Army,”  Turchak wrote on Telegram.

The 58th is deeply entrenched in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, particularly when it comes to defending Russian positions in the Orikhiv area, CNN reported.

Ukrainian commanders have alleged that Russia is losing about two companies of about 100 to 200 soldiers per day along the southern front, the outlet noted.

“If [Popov’s assessments are true, they], may support ISW’s previous assessments that Russian forces lack operational reserves that would allow them to carry out rotations of personnel defending against Ukrainian counter offensives and that Russian defensive lines may be brittle,” the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said.

Popov’s firing may be related to him telling Gerasimov that his unit was in need of rotation after an extended period of fighting and was suffering heavy losses, the ISW added.

As of Thursday, Popov’s current location remains unknown.

Another former Russian commander, General Sergei Surovkin, has not been seen since the Wagner mutiny.

Officials say that Surovkin, who was rumored to have been a secret member of Prigozhin’s private forces, is “resting,” although rumors suggest that he may have been arrested.

With Post wires