Russian Defense Ministry Press Service\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe armed forces of Ukraine could not break through our army from the front, (but) our senior commander hit us from the rear, treacherously and vilely decapitating the army at the most difficult and tense moment,\u201d Popov said in the message, sent in July 2023. <\/p>\n
Most of his ire was reserved for the Russian military\u2019s chief-of-staff, Valery Gerasimov. <\/p>\n
Popov said that when he complained about a lack of artillery support and other issues, \u201cthe senior commanders felt the danger in me and swiftly, in one day, concocted an order for the Minister of Defense, removed me from the order, and got rid of me.\u201d <\/p>\n
Kateryna Stepanenko, at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, says that Popov\u2019s dismissal \u201coutraged Russian ultranationalists, officers, and veterans, who accused the Russian MoD of removing Popov to mask problems in the Russian military.\u201d <\/p>\n
The military establishment was especially sensitive to criticism at the time \u2013 less than a month after the abortive revolt by Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. <\/p>\n
Life for Popov was soon to get worse. At first, he was sent to Syria to be deputy commander of the Russian contingent there, but in May last year he was arrested for alleged fraud, a charge he has consistently denied. <\/p>\n
Prosecutors sought a six-year jail sentence if convicted, and Popov was dismissed from the armed forces. But his supporters continued to speak up for him. <\/p>\n
Stepanenko believes the Kremlin \u201clargely failed to convince the Russian ultranationalists, officers, and veterans of Popov\u2019s alleged involvement in the embezzlement case, resulting in persistent backlash online.\u201d <\/p>\n
Popov wrote an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was published in state media in late March, appealing to be allowed to return to the battlefield. He described Putin as his \u201cmoral guide and role model\u201d whose example \u201cmade me finally understand what the legendary words mean: \u2018a cool head, a warm heart and clean hands.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
Popov\u2019s wish has now been granted, after a fashion. <\/p>\n
Last week, Russian state media reported that his lawyer and the Ministry of Defense had agreed to Popov\u2019s request to return to active duty rather than face the prospect of a prison sentence. <\/p>\n
Popov\u2019s lawyer, Sergei Buinovsky, was quoted on TASS as saying: \u201cWe, together with the Ministry of Defense, have a motion to suspend on the case\u2026 with the positive decision to send Ivan Ivanovich to the SVO (The Special Military Operation.)\u201d Moscow continues to use this term to refer to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine it launched in 2022. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s yet to be confirmed that the military court has agreed to the deal, but Popov\u2019s supporters among Russian military bloggers rejoiced. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe legendary combat general returned to the front!\u201d wrote Vladimir Rogov, a popular blogger. <\/p>\n
But there was a sting in the tail. Popov would not be returning to his beloved 58th <\/sup>Army. <\/p>\n On Thursday, Russian business daily newspaper Kommersant reported that Popov would \u201cbe sent to the SVO not as a regular stormtrooper, but as the commander of one of the Storm Z units,\u201d citing a source in the security forces. <\/p>\n
That same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on a call with journalists \u201con the intention of General Popov, accused of embezzlement, to take up a special operation.\u201d <\/p>\n
But Stepanenko describes Popov\u2019s assignment as \u201ceffectively a death sentence because the Russian military command primarily uses \u2018Storm Z\u2019 penal detachments in suicidal frontal assaults.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Kremlin has continued to support the use of prisoners in combat. Putin recently promised to get members of Storm Z veteran status. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe will definitely fix this. I don\u2019t see any problems here,\u201d Putin said at a meeting last month. \u201cI have great connections, I will come to an agreement with both the government and the deputies,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
As the Russian military seeks to bolster the number of experienced officers in Ukraine, it\u2019s increasingly turning to those who have fallen out of favor. <\/p>\n
\u201cPutin appears to have set up a new redemption system in which disgraced officials and commanders have a chance at regaining Putin\u2019s favor, provided they publicly plead guilty to their charges and then volunteer to fight in Ukraine,\u201d says Stepanenko. <\/p>\n
Popov has denied the charges against him and a military court is yet to green-light the deal between his lawyer and the Defense Ministry. <\/p>\n
But he is certainly familiar with Russia\u2019s notorious units of ex-convicts, which played an outsize role in the assault on Bakhmut in 2023, suffering immense casualties in the process. <\/p>\n
When in charge of the 58th Army, Popov was affiliated with a battalion of former prisoners known as \u201cStorm Gladiator,\u201d a special assault unit within Storm Z. <\/p>\n
It had \u201chundreds of convicts with prior military experience who received training from former Wagner Group and Chechen \u2018Akhmat\u2019 forces,\u201d says Stepanenko. But it suffered significant losses in what became known as \u201cmeat grinder assaults,\u201d frontal infantry assaults on well-defended positions. Detachments of Storm Gladiator had a survival rate of 40%, according to some investigations. <\/p>\n
As and when he returns to the battlefield, Popov is likely to need all his military prowess to keep his ex-prisoners\u2019 battalion, and himself, alive. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n
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