Ex-Russian Military Official Sentenced to Five Years for Fraud

A former Russian military official and lieutenant general, who heavily criticized Russia’s handling of the war in Ukraine, was sentenced today (April 24, 2025) to five years in prison after being found guilty by a military court of large-scale fraud. Ivan Popov’s lawyer told the RIA news agency that they will appeal the verdict. According to Kommersant newspaper, the Russian ex-official reportedly referred last month to his ‘unjust persecution’ for alleged fraud. Ivan Popov, a former deputy commander of the 58th Army who fought in Chechnya and later served in southern Ukraine, was convicted of stealing metal products valued at over 130 million rubles ($1.56 million), intended for constructing fortifications along the front line in Ukraine. He was tried alongside businessman Sergei Moiseev, while another accomplice, Major General Oleg Tchokov, was killed in Ukraine in 2023. Several high-ranking Defense Ministry officials have faced criminal charges amid an extensive corruption probe that shook the Russian military establishment last year. However, Popov and his supporters claim his case is different and that he is being punished for speaking out publicly. Following the failed Wagner Group uprising in June 2023, Popov’s concerns about Moscow’s conduct of the war became public through an audio message released by a Russian legislator in July. In it, he discusses the deaths of Russian soldiers from Ukrainian artillery fire, criticizing the lack of proper weapons and detection systems in the Russian army. Popov stated that he was dismissed shortly afterward. At the time of his arrest in May 2024, well-known Russian bloggers specializing in military issues spoke out in defense of Popov, describing him as a talented strategist penalized for telling the truth.