Dismissal of Russian Military Commander After Accusations Against Senior Officers of Failure in Ukraine

General Ivan Popov, commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army, announced that he was dismissed from his position after informing military leadership of the deteriorating situation on the front in Ukraine, where Russian soldiers faced betrayal due to the failures of senior military officers, as he described. He stated, "There was a difficult situation with the senior leaders, and I had to either remain silent and become a coward or describe the matter as it is." He added, "I had no right to lie on your behalf, on behalf of my fallen comrades, so I revealed all the existing issues." He mentioned raising concerns about the deaths of Russian soldiers due to Ukrainian artillery shelling, considering that the army lacked appropriate counter-battery systems and means to scout enemy movements. He continued, "It seems that the senior leaders felt I posed a sort of threat, so they quickly prepared an order from the Minister of Defense in just one day and got rid of me. The Ukrainian army could not break through our lines on the front, but our supreme commander delivered a sudden blow and brutally decapitated the army at the most difficult and critical moments."