Thief or soldier? Military Z-channels are outraged by the arrest of General Popov, who commanded the 58th Army and was accused of stealing two thousand tons of metal.
Many war correspondents agree that the ex-commander's arrest was revenge for his "merciless truth" about the war, which the "academics" in the Ministry of Defense did not like.
«I never noticed any commercial movement in him. Servant, пишет VGTRK war correspondent Alexander Sladkov. - I'm sure they'll sort this out and won't execute him. Dumb people are forgiven for lies and losses, but I think others can be forgiven for even the merciless truth. General Ivan Popov is not a thief. He's a soldier."
Grey Zone Telegram Channel calls Popov is one of the most respected generals in the army:
«He stopped the enemy counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia sector in June 2023. A little later, in July 2023, he delivered a report to Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. He spoke about the problems in the army, in particular the lack of counter-battery warfare and artillery reconnaissance stations, rotations, and much more. In response, the Chief of the General Staff, in his usual hysterical manner, called Popov a disinformer and alarmist.».
Military commissar Yuri Podolyaka RecallsHe claims that it was Popov who built the strongest line of defense on the front, thereby saving the army from defeat. He believes they want to imprison the general "as a lesson to others who are just as brave."
According to the lawyer Sergei Buinovsky, who defends Ivan Popov, was detained denies guilty of stealing metal and has nothing to do with the amount of damage of 100 million rubles.
His material well-being doesn’t even come close to what the [Telegram] channels are writing about now, — the lawyer clarified.
General Popov was removed from command of the 58th Army back in July 2023, shortly after the mutiny of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who demanded the resignation of the Minister of Defense. Sergei Shoigu. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin removed Shoigu a year later.
In addition, several of the former minister's deputies have been arrested on suspicion of corruption: Yuri Kuznetsov, who was responsible for personnel, and Timur Ivanov, who was responsible for construction.
Photo: Sladkov
