Russian General: My Soldiers Were Stabbed in the Back in Ukraine

A Russian general, Lieutenant General Ivan Popov, stated that he was dismissed from his command after reporting the dire situation on the front in Ukraine to senior military officials in Moscow. According to Reuters, he claimed that Russian soldiers were stabbed in the back due to the negligence of senior military commanders. Following the June 24 rebellion of the Wagner Group, the largest internal challenge to the Russian government in decades arose. So far, Russian President Vladimir Putin has retained Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov in their positions. Lieutenant General Ivan Popov, who commanded the 58th Combined Arms Army, said in a voice message released by Russian lawmaker Andrei Gurulyov that he was dismissed after telling the truth to senior officials about the situation on the Ukrainian front. Popov stated, 'The Ukrainian army could not break our lines at the front, but our senior commanders stabbed us in the back and horrifically slaughtered the army at the hardest and most intense moment.' He also mentioned that the Russian army lacks adequate counter-battery systems and enemy artillery reconnaissance. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not immediately responded to these statements, and Reuters reports that it cannot independently verify the authenticity of the voice message. Lawmaker Andrei Gurulyov, who released Popov's voice message, is a former hardline army commander who has appeared multiple times on state television.