Ivan Ivanovich Popov (; born 30 January 1975) is a former

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

who commanded the

58th Combined Arms Army The 58th Combined Arms Army (russian: 58-я общевойсковая армия) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered at Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania, within Russia's Southern Military District. It was formed in 1941 as pa ...

until he was dismissed in July 2023.

Early life and education

Popov was born on 30 January 1975 in a small farming

khutor A khutor ( rus, хутор, p=ˈxutər) or khutir ( uk, хутiр, pl. , ''khutory'') is a type of rural locality in some countries of Eastern Europe; in the past the term mostly referred to a single-homestead settlement.

in the Don steppes, part of

Danilovsky District, Volgograd Oblast Danilovsky District (russian: Дани́ловский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #139-OD district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Volgograd Oblast, thirty-three in Volgograd Oblast, Russia. As a subdivisions of Russia ...

. In his youth Popov aspired to follow in his father's footsteps as a

border guard A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Federal Police (Germany), Germany, Guardia di Finanza, Italy or State Border Gua ...

, seeking to enter the Alma-Ata Higher Border Command School, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union Popov applied to and was accepted to the

Moscow Higher Military Command School The Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School ''"Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR"'' (abbreviated to MVOKU) is a higher military educational institution of the Russian Armed Forces. History The school was formed in December 15, 1917 (O.S., Decembe ...

in 1992.

Military career

His first assignment after graduation as a platoon commander was to the 56th Air Assault Regiment of the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also included the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla. It comprised the Republic of Adygeya, ...

. With the 56th, Popov took part in the

Second Chechen War The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russia, Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from Augus ...

. Popov graduated from the Combined Arms Academy and was posted to the operational directorate of the North Caucasus Military District headquarters, taking part in the

Russo-Georgian War The 2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe war is known by a variety of other names, including Five-Day War, August War and Russian invasion of Georgia. was a war between Georgia, on one side, and Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Sou ...

. Popov subsequently served at the

National Defense Management Center The National Defense Management Center, also known as the National Defense Control Center (NDCC) (russian: Национальный центр управления обороной РФ, ) НЦУО, formerly the Central Command Post of the Gener ...

. Graduating from the Military Academy of the General Staff in 2015, he was appointed commander of the 33rd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade (Mountain) in

Adygea The Republic of Adygea (; russian: Республика Адыгея, Respublika Adygeya, p=ɐdɨˈɡʲejə; ady, Адыгэ Республик, ''Adıgə Respublik''), also known as the Adyghe Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is situated ...

in December of that year. By 2017 he commanded the 20th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade of the

Southern Military District 200px, Headquarters of the district at 53 Pushkinskaya Street / 43 Budenovsky avenue, Rostov-on-Don The Southern Military District (Russian: Южный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military ...

Volgograd Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...

. With a reputation as one of the fastest rising brigade commanders in the Russian Ground Forces, Popov's performance in exercises was noticed by his superiors. In September 2017 Popov left the brigade for promotion, and it was rumored that he would become deputy commander of the

49th Combined Arms Army The 49th Combined Arms Army (russian: 49-я общевойсковая армия) is a combined arms (field) army (CAA) of the Russian Ground Forces, formed in 2010 and headquartered in Stavropol. Part of the Southern Military District, the arm ...

. By May 2018, he was chief of staff of the 22nd Army Corps in Crimea, and still held this position in May 2019.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

By May 2022, Popov was chief of staff of the 11th Army Corps in

Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast (russian: Калинингра́дская о́бласть, translit=Kaliningradskaya oblast') is the westernmost federal subject of Russia. It is a semi-exclave situated on the Baltic Sea. The largest city and administr ...

. He commanded the Russian forces in the

Balakliia Balakliia ( uk, Балаклія, ; russian: Балаклея, translit=Balakleya) or Balakliya is a city in Izium Raion, in Kharkiv Oblast (province), eastern Ukraine, on the north-east side of the Siverskyi Donets river close to where it is jo ...

area by June, conducting a chaotic retreat during the Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive in September. Despite the Russian defeat, Popov was promoted to major general and commander of the

, responsible for the

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zapor ...

sector, by March 2023. He announced the defeat of Ukrainian attacks in the Zaporizhzhia sector during the Ukrainian counteroffensive on 8 June. However, on 11 July milblogger Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reported that Popov had been relieved of command for requesting the rotation of units out of the frontline. On the next day,

State Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house ...

deputy Andrey Gurulyov published a message from Popov explaining the reasons for his dismissal. Popov declared that Chief of the General Staff

Valery Gerasimov Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov ( rus, Валерий Васильевич Герасимов, p=vɐˈlʲerʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪdʑ ɡʲɪˈrasʲɪməf; born 8 September 1955) is a Russian army general serving as the Chief of the General Sta ...

dismissed him over his concerns for troops fighting without rest and criticism of Russian battlefield strategy. In response to Popov's criticisms, Gerasimov accused him of "engaging disinformation in panic." Popov indirectly accused Gerasimov and Defense Minister

Sergei Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, ; tyv, Сергей Күжүгет оглу Шойгу, translit=Sergey Kyzhyget oglu Shoygu, . (russian: Сергей Кужугетович Шойгу; born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician who has served as ...

of betraying Russian soldiers on the battlefield by failing to provide sufficient support and raised questions about "the lack of counter-battery fire, the absence of artillery radars and the mass deaths and injuries of our brothers from enemy artillery." Popov finished his message by exhorting his soldiers to continue the fight to defeat the Ukrainian counteroffensive "in the name of the blood spilled by soldiers and officers." State Duma Defense Committee Chairman

Andrey Kartapolov Andrey Valeryevich Kartapolov (russian: Андрей Валериевич Картаполов; born 9 November 1963) is a Russian politician and former army officer of the Russian Army. From 30 July 2018 to October 2021 he served as Deputy Defen ...

responded to Popov's message with the statement that Popov's criticisms would be taken seriously and acted upon.

Arrest

Popov was arrested on 17 May 2024 on fraud charges. The 235th Garrison Military Court was reported to be taking up the case against Popov, who holds the rank of Major General. There was no comment from the

Russian Defense Ministry The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (russian: Министерство обороны Российской Федерации, Минобороны России, informally abbreviated as МО, МО РФ or Minoboron) is the govern ...

or Russian law enforcement agencies about the reported arrest.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popov, Ivan 1975 births 20th-century Russian military personnel 21st-century Russian military personnel People from Volgograd Oblast Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Military personnel of the Russo-Georgian War Recipients of the Medal of Zhukov Recipients of the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) Russian major generals Russian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian military personnel of the Syrian civil war Living people Recipients of the Order of Courage (Russia)