Ivan Popov in court in Moscow, 7 August 2024. Photo: Yevgeny Razumny / Kommersant / Sipa USA / Vida Press
A military court has sentenced the former commander of Russia’s 58th Combined Arms Army, Ivan Popov, to five years in a penal colony after finding him guilty of large-scale fraud and official misconduct, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
As well as finding Popov guilty of stealing metal intended for the construction of defensive fortifications, the Tambov Garrison Military Court also stripped him of his military rank of general and fined him 800,000 rubles (€8,500). His lawyer said afterwards that Popov intended to appeal the conviction and would continue to seek his acquittal on all charges.
Popov was dismissed from the military in July 2023 after a message he wrote to soldiers under his command criticising the military’s 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 first arrested in May 2024 on charges of large-scale fraud. He was later placed under house arrest before being returned to pretrial detention. The prosecutors working on the case had requested the court hand him a six-year prison sentence.
According to investigators, Popov allegedly stole approximately 1,700 tonnes of metal that had been purchased by the Russian-installed administration in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region for the construction of defensive fortifications. Popov has denied all charges.
In April this year, Popov’s lawyer claimed that his client had been permitted to leave pretrial detention to return to the war in Ukraine. According to Russian business daily Kommersant, Popov was expected to be deployed to the front line as a commander of one of the Russian military’s Storm Z units — penal battalions made up of convicted soldiers.
