Russian army general arrested on fraud charges

A Russian army general who previously oversaw the defense of Ukraine’s occupied Zaporizhzhia region has been arrested on fraud charges, according to state news agency TASS reported Tuesday, citing an anonymous source.

“The former commander of the 58th Guards Army, Ivan Ivanovich Popov, was arrested on suspicion of fraud,” an unnamed police official was quoted as saying by TASS.

The source added that the military court of the 235th garrison is taking up the case against Popov, who holds the rank of major general.

There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defense Ministry or law enforcement agencies on the reported arrest.

In July 2023, Popov said He was relieved of his role as commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army after complaining directly to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu about systemic mismanagement within the military.

In an audio file shared at the time by State Duma deputy and former military commander Andrei Gurulyov, Popov could be heard speaking out against his superiors for “treacherously beheading” the military after his dismissal.

This speech was the first publicly known example of a regular army officer expressing dissatisfaction following the failed uprising by the Wagner mercenary group the month before.

Popov’s arrest also took place after the recent arrests of Lt. Gen. Yuri Kuznetsov and Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, an ally of Shoigu, on bribery charges, suggesting authorities are taking a broader crackdown on the Russian military.

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