Until now, Ivan Popov was probably known only to military experts. Now a word of mouth is circulating from the general, which has explosive potential.
Zaporizhia – A voice message is causing a stir regarding the war in Ukraine. However, only through detours. She was deposed by Ivan Bobo. The Russian general was previously the commander of the 58th Army of the Moscow Armed Forces stationed in southern Ukraine. But the 48-year-old was relieved of this duty, the army explained in its four-minute message. Apparently because he criticized his superiors.
News organizations, among others, quoted from Bobo’s message Reuters And German Press Agency (dpa)But more Kyiv Post. First, the commander made his dismissal public on his own Telegram channel. Later, Duma deputy Andrey Kurule also spread the word Voice message on his Telegram channel. Didn’t get the reception you expected as a first release? Kurulev is a former army general who commanded the 58th Army and often appeared on Russian state television.
Putin fires general over criticism: ‘My gladiators, I await my military fate’
In the voice message, Popov addresses his players. “My dear gladiators, I am released from my duties and await my military destiny,” he was quoted as saying. It was a “difficult situation” for the commanders as it was a matter of being silent and cowardly or standing up.
But he had no choice. . Also: “I have drawn attention to the greatest tragedy of modern warfare – the lack of artillery reconnaissance and countermeasures and the many deaths and injuries at the hands of enemy artillery.”
Due to the intervention of his superiors – Popov did not name names – he was relieved of his post one day. loud Kyiv Post But Russian media also assumed the addresses were Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The two were often counted publicly by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigosh, almost as one His mercenary attack on Moscow will have peaked.
Deposed Russian general: “Our Supreme Commander stabbed us in the back”
Popov, who was stationed in Zaporizhia province, emphasized: “Soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces could not break through our front, but our commander stabbed us in the back and cut off the head of the army very hard. A serious moment.”
The authenticity of the message could not be independently verified. It is not known at first when it was recorded. loud Kyiv Post Popov took over the 58th Army in October 2022 after the dismissal of Colonel General Alexander Lyabin. It blamed some of the failures as a result of the Ukrainian counterattack.
According to Russian military news, Popov is popular among troops because he meets the needs of individual soldiers or officers under his command and has high standards of ethics and professionalism. He will be called “Spartacus” – meaning Spartacus. Lt. Gen. Oleg Toskov, who was most recently killed in a cruise missile attack on a Russian command center near the port of Berdyansk, may have been Bobo’s immediate superior, the report said.
General sacked after Telegram message: War blogger sees “lack of unity in armed forces”
Wrote Vladimir Rokov, Russia’s official representative in Zaporozhye and a well-known war blogger. on his Telegram channel, Popov enjoys “enormous support” among the soldiers, a “simple and understandable honest general” whose message demoralized the fighters at the front. He further criticizes: “The confrontation between Popov and Gerasimov makes one thing clear above all: the lack of unity in the armed forces of the Russian Federation. The enemy will certainly take advantage of this.
Igor Kirkin, alias Strelkov, former military leader of the separatist People’s Republic of Donetsk, also found clear words. A former colonel who became a relentless critic of the Kremlin because of the costly war wrote on his Telegram channel, Popo’s message was dismissed as “stupid, corrupt, and a very dangerous precedent”. But he was not a “criminal” but a regular army general.
According to him, this is “just a stone’s throw” to further mutinies or an uncontrolled disintegration of the army. “Only one massive military defeat separates us from a new ‘March on Moscow’ by the regular army,” the 52-year-old seems almost ecstatic.
Putin propagandist defends Bobo: “Fathers can be proud of such generals”
He spoke by telegram Margarita Simonyan, considered the central figure of Russian propaganda. He is a 43-year-old head teacher Rossiya Sewodnja (“Russia Today”). She defends Bobo and blames Kurulev for releasing the voice message.
Because the general’s request was shared only in closed chats: “Deputy’ Kurulev somehow got his hands on him and turned it into a political event. Only he should be blamed. Like his other statements and comments.
Popov, as he is called by his first name, has a clear conscience: “The motherland can be proud of such generals.” Finally, there’s a sentence that Vladimir Putin might have coined better: “The military was and will never be. Out of politics.” (mg)
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