UK intelligence reveals consequences of detention of "highly competent" Russian general

UK Defence Intelligence has analysed information on the detention of Russian Major General Ivan Popov on charges of fraud and corruption in its latest report on 2 June.

Source: a UK Defence Intelligence report; European Pravda

Details: Popov was formerly the Commander of the 58th Russian Combined Arms Army (CCA) and was dismissed in July 2023 after criticising the "competence of Russian defence leadership's decisions relating to the conduct of the war".

"Popov subsequently criticised the decision to remove him publicly, describing it as "our senior commander hitting us from the rear, treacherously and vilely beheading the army at the most difficult and tense moment"," the intelligence recalls.

The authors of the report wrote that in the Russian army system, "where corruption itself is endemic", punishment for it "is more often a political tool than an attempt to ensure good governance".

"It is likely Popov's arrest is a demonstrative punishment for his perceived disloyalty to his superiors," the UK intelligence service states.

It adds that Popov, as a commander in the Russian army, "was generally regarded as highly competent and, according to Russian military commentators, was popular among Russian troops".

"His arrest is likely to further dismay Russian military personnel and reinforce to his peers in senior command positions that loyalty and obedience to the regime and one's superiors is valued more highly than competence and charisma," the report concludes.

Earlier this week, UK Defence intelligence reviewed a newly released magazine in Russia called Politruk, which aims to help educate Russian soldiers.

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