Russian general who criticized leadership may soon lead battalion of ex-cons: lawyer

A Russian wide who criticized the nation's Ministry of Defense whitethorn soon beryllium reinstated to the beforehand lines of the warfare successful Ukraine this week, according to a study from CNN.

General Major Ivan Popov erstwhile commanded Russia's 58th Army earlier being sidelined, accused of fraud, and detained aft blasting Russian subject enactment successful 2023. His lawyer and the Ministry of Defense called for him to beryllium enactment successful bid of 1 of Russia's infamous detachments of ex-convicts, forces that person sustained monolithic casualties successful the warfare against Ukraine.

"We, unneurotic with the Ministry of Defense, person a question to suspend connected the case… with the affirmative determination to nonstop Ivan to [Ukraine]," the lawyer, Sergei Buinovsky, said, according to Russian media.

Popov published an unfastened missive to Russian President Vladimir Putin successful March, asking the person to reinstate him to subject work successful bid to suspend his transgression trial.

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Major General Ivan Popov, erstwhile commandant of Russia's 58th army, arrested connected suspicion of fraud, attends a proceeding astatine the subject tribunal successful Moscow, Russia, connected May 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina)

Former defence quality serviceman and writer of "Putin's Playbook" Rebekah Koffler says Putin whitethorn intervene successful the lawsuit to guarantee Popov is deployed to Ukraine.

"Putin routinely weighs successful connected high-profile cases, particularly erstwhile Western media is involved," Koffler told Fox News Digital connected Tuesday.

"Putin is unpredictable - helium whitethorn determine to fto the process tally its people and person Popov service a situation condemnation oregon helium whitethorn determine to nonstop him into the nutrient grinder successful Ukraine and service the ‘Russian motherland,' making a propaganda lawsuit retired of it, since Popov asked for it," she added.

The duty to a penal detachment is arguably a decease sentence, however, arsenic Russia's subject has routinely utilized ex-convict forces to behaviour near-suicidal missions successful the warfare against Ukraine, starring to precocious casualty rates.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin reassigned Popov this week. (Aleksey Babushkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo)

"I was subjected to unjust prosecution," Popov wrote successful his missive to Putin. "I privation to proceed smashing the force successful accordance with the oath I took."

Popov’s lawyer, Sergei Buinovskiy, told Russian media that Popov "was grateful for the spot the president has placed successful him."

As commandant of Russia's 58th Army, Popov was successful complaint of a unit of astir 50,000 troops. The detachment helium could soon pb apt numbers successful the hundreds, however.

Ukrainian soldiers basal adjacent destroyed Russian tanks successful Izium, Ukraine, connected Sept. 20, 2022. (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)

At the caput of the 58th Army, Popov gained popularity with front-line troops by repelling a Ukrainian counter-attack that relied heavy connected tanks provided by NATO countries. He past blasted Russia's apical commanders for allowing Ukraine's archetypal breakthrough.

"The equipped forces of Ukraine could not interruption done our service from the front, [but] our elder commandant deed america from the rear, treacherously and vilely decapitating the service astatine the astir hard and tense moment," Popov said of Russian subject chief-of-staff Valery Gerasimov astatine the time.

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Popov was soon reassigned to Syria earlier fraud charges landed him successful court. He denied wrongdoing and retained galore allies successful Moscow who shared his criticisms of Russian subject leadership.