A Russian general who accused army chiefs of “treacherously” ousting him for criticizing troop losses in the war in Ukraine has sparked a political feud within Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ruling party, the latest sign of tensions over the military following the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries.
Major General Ivan Popov, whose call sign is “Spartacus,” said in an audio message that he’d been removed as commander of Russia’s 58th army in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region after he spoke to Defense Ministry chiefs “at the highest level, extremely harshly” about shortcomings in combat operations.
Popov told his “gladiators” in the message that he’d emphasized “the large-scale death and injury of our brothers from enemy artillery” because of an absence of countermeasures.
