Russian General Kicked Out Of Ukraine Commands Slams His Bosses

A top Russian general in Ukraine has lashed out at his bosses after being fired from his command, accusing them of undermining the war effort with dishonesty and politicking, in the latest sign of turmoil within the Kremlin’s military leadership, Paul Sonne and Anatoly Kurmanaev reported for the New York Times.

Photo Insert: Maj. Gen. Popov's firing, and the unusual public airing of his grievances, reflected the disarray that has roiled Russia’s military command since a failed mutiny three weeks ago.

In a four-minute recording released late Wednesday night, Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov addressed his troops, accusing his superiors of inflicting a blow on his forces by removing him from his post in retaliation for voicing the truth about battlefield problems to senior leadership behind closed doors.

His firing, and the unusual public airing of his grievances, reflected the disarray that has roiled Russia’s military command since a failed mutiny three weeks ago, Julian E. Barnes also reported for the New York Times.

While the 58th Combined Arms Army he commanded has been holding off a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region, “we were hit in the rear by our senior commander, who treacherously and vilely decapitated our army at the most difficult and tense moment,” Popov said — an apparent reference to Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the armed forces.

Since the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group and its boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, several senior officers have been detained or pushed out of their posts, according to a person close to the Russian military, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Speculation has swirled in particular about the fate of Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the head of the air force and former chief of forces in Ukraine, who hasn’t been seen publicly since the rebellion and was said this week by a top Russian lawmaker to be “taking a rest.”

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic