Discharged Russian general to return to war as commander of penal military unit

A Russian general who was discharged from the military after being accused of large-scale fraud last year is to return to Ukraine as the commander of a Storm-Z penal unit, business daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday.

Major General Ivan Popov was permitted to return to the war in Ukraine after his lawyer, Sergey Buinovsky, and the Russian Defence Ministry filed a joint motion petitioning a military court to suspend all criminal proceedings against Popov, TASS reported.

Popov, the former commander of Russia’s 58th Combined Arms Army, was dismissed in July 2023 after a message he wrote to soldiers under his command in which he criticised Russia’s military top brass was leaked online. In the message, Popov called attention to major issues within the Russian army, including its flawed combat strategy and widespread logistical failings.

Popov was arrested in May on suspicion of large-scale fraud and was subsequently charged with the theft of over 1.7 million tonnes of rolled metal products intended for use in the construction of military fortifications in Ukraine. According to military investigators, the alleged theft cost the Russian military 105 million rubles (€1.1 million), though Popov himself was only accused of being responsible for losses of 1 million rubles (€10,500). Popov denied all charges against him.

Since the war began, the Russian authorities have frequently offered criminals early release from prison in exchange for enlisting in the military to serve in Ukraine. Such arrangements have also been offered to those in pretrial detention, despite them not having been convicted of any crime.

Earlier this month, a Russian military officer on trial for killing a 19-year-old conscript during a training exercise last year had all charges against him dismissed after he signed a contract with the Defence Ministry to fight in Ukraine.