This is not a call for rebellion against the Russian army, but it is certainly a dramatic event: a Russian general says in the recording that he was ousted because he told the truth about the situation on the front to Chief of Staff Gerasimov, adding that he behaved in a despicable and treacherous manner. What is equally surprising about this story is that the recording was released by a former general and a lawmaker from Putin's party in the present.
Brief background: This week, rumors circulated in Russia about the removal of the commander of the 58th Army of the Russian Southern Command, General-Major Ivan Popov. Two Russian Telegram channels, at least previously affiliated with Prigozhin, reported that Popov demanded a rotation for his forces blocking the Ukrainian army's counteroffensive to liberate Zaporizhzhia territory and even threatened to reach Putin. As a result, he was allegedly ousted.
General-Mayor Popov attacks Russian chief of staff | Social Networks
And here tonight, a recording of General Popov himself was released in Russia. The message is intended for his subordinates, in which he tells his version of what happened. "I've been removed from duty, I'm waiting for my continued service and a new assignment," said Popov, who is considered a fairly popular general in the Russian army because of his attitude toward his troops. "From the outset I was completely honest and open with you and I minimized the distancing with everyone because we are dying together and we all hurt equally. Let me tell you frankly: a complex situation was created with the high command where I had to either shut up, or act like a faint heart and tell them what they wanted to hear, or call things by their names."
Popov refers to his meeting with Gerasimov and recounts what happened there: "For your sake, for the sake of our brothers who were killed, I did not have the right to lie. I presented all the known problems in the army – in the combat field, in the field of supplies, I focused my attention on the greatest tragedy of this war: the lack of fire against artillery batteries, the lack of artillery intelligence, and the massive killing and wounding of our brothers in arms by enemy artillery fire." As an aside: A few hours before Popov's recording appeared, Forbes published a report according to which for every Ukrainian cannon destroyed, four Russian artillery barrels are destroyed.
Russian Chief of Staff Gerasimov and Defense Minister Shoigu (archive), photo: AP
In any case, the Russian general continues to describe the meeting and reveals how he was treated at the Ministry of Defense. "I raised several more issues, all before the highest echelons, and in the most honest and sharp manner. Therefore, the commanders-in-chief apparently sensed some danger on my part, and with lightning speed an order was prepared by the Minister of Defense to get rid of me.
As many officers, division and regiment commanders said today: The enemy did not succeed in breaking through our defense line, so we received a blow from the rear from the senior commander, who in a despicable and treacherous manner beheaded the head of the army at the most tense moment possible." Popov concludes the recording by saying that he was and remains available to his soldiers on any issue even now and calls on them to continue fighting.
Russian 58th Army forces fighting in Zaporizhzhia Oblast
The recording spread on Russian networks and made waves, but it is interesting that the person who contributed to its distribution is a lawmaker from Putin's United Russia party, Andrei Gorulyov. This is a relatively senior legislator who is very prominent in the internal Russian discourse on the war, without or with a connection, a retired general who previously commanded the same 58th Army. It is unclear whether he acted on his own initiative in distributing the recording – or whether he was hinted at acting "on his own," but one cannot rule out the possibility that this is a reminder to Chief of Staff Gerasimov that he has an opposition in the army or a hint that his status is being undermined.
In the past week, there have also been rumors that Gerasimov has been removed from command of the Russian occupation forces in Ukraine. At the beginning of the invasion, Gerasimov had already been ousted – and last January he was reinstated as commander of the "special military operation," as the invasion is called in Russia's official language.
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