A general arrested for fraud. A warning from Vladimir Putin to everyone. General Ivan Popov, commander of the 58th Joint Army and protagonist of the war that Russia unleashed in Ukraine, has been arrested. Responsible for the defense against the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 in the Zaporizhzhia region, he ended up in prison on May 17 at the end of an investigation that would last 8 months. And that, according to analysts and observers, he hides another truth.
The story monopolizes the attention of Russian ‘milbloggers’, former soldiers and experts who spread news on the conflict from their highly followed Telegram channels. Popov was allegedly involved in a 100 million ruble ($1.1 million) scam, concocted with the sale of metallic materials that were supposed to be used in the construction of defensive barriers. An entrepreneur and an officer previously employed in the southern military district would also be implicated in the case.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an American think tank that monitors the conflict on a daily basis, reconstructs the story. Popov was essentially removed from his role a year ago, in a decision linked to ‘military errors’ and not fraud. For milbloggers, Popov has always been a high-level commander: the qualities recognized in military circles should have led to a reinstatement.
Instead, Popov was fired in July 2023 by the commander of the armed forces, Valery Gerasimov. The drastic measure was adopted after the general’s criticism of the management of men in the Zaporizhzhia oblast. In an audio attributed to Popov, accusations directed at former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stand out: the senior officer was convinced that his dismissal was Shoigu’s revenge for criticism of the military apparatus in Zaporizhzhia.
The arrest that has just taken place, according to the ISW, would close the circle: prison would be the Kremlin’s response to the accusations made by Popov almost a year ago. Russian authorities did not want to publicly punish Popov in July 2023 for fear of a wave of public support for the commander. Torpedoing Popov in the summer of 2023 would have added further fuel to the fire already fueled by the -returned- revolt of Evgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner.
The arrest is now formally part of a broad anti-corruption campaign that the Kremlin ‘sponsors’ within the Ministry of Defense. The provision against Popov, beyond the stamped papers and the signatures of the magistrates, represents a warning for all the big names in the armed forces: sooner or later, those who deviate from the Kremlin line will have to face the consequences of their actions. “Russian President Vladimir Putin prefers loyalty to competence,” summarizes the ISW.
