Major General Ivan Popov, once hailed as a decorated leader in Russia’s war on Ukraine, is returning to the battlefield—but under grim new circumstances. After being ousted and briefly jailed for criticizing military leadership, Popov has reportedly been given command of a notorious penal battalion made up of former prisoners, infamous for suffering massive casualties in combat.

In 2023, Popov was in charge of the 58th Combined Arms Army, where he gained a reputation as a strong and capable commander in southern Ukraine. That changed overnight when he dared to speak out against the Russian military’s top brass. In a voice message sent to colleagues, Popov claimed his own superiors had “stabbed the army in the back” during a critical phase of the war.

He blamed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and the Defense Ministry for failing to provide artillery support and accused them of removing him for exposing operational flaws. His candid critique, coming just weeks after the Wagner Group’s failed mutiny, made him a target.

Following his dismissal, Popov was briefly reassigned to Syria. But in May 2024, he was arrested on fraud charges he strongly denied. Prosecutors sought a six-year prison term, but support for Popov never fully waned. Analysts say many ultranationalists, veterans, and even some serving officers saw the charges as a political ploy to silence a truth-teller.

In March 2025, Popov made a public appeal to President Vladimir Putin. Calling Putin his “moral guide,” he begged to return to the frontlines. Instead of prison, he asked to redeem himself in combat.

That appeal appears to have worked—sort of. Russian state media reported that Popov’s legal team and the Ministry of Defense reached a deal to send him back to Ukraine rather than jail. His lawyer confirmed the arrangement, noting it’s pending court approval.

But instead of leading his old 58th Army, Popov has been assigned to command one of Russia’s infamous Storm Z units—a penal formation composed largely of former convicts. These battalions are often thrown into “meat grinder” assaults, suffering staggering losses. One such unit Popov previously worked with, Storm Gladiator, had a survival rate of just 40%.

Military analyst Kateryna Stepanenko described the assignment as “effectively a death sentence,” noting that these formations are routinely sent into suicidal frontal attacks. Despite the risks, Russian military bloggers celebrated Popov’s return, calling him a “legendary combat general.”

The Kremlin has continued to back the use of convicts in combat. Putin recently pledged veteran status for Storm Z fighters, signaling ongoing institutional support for these units despite their high casualty rates.

Stepanenko argues that Popov’s case is part of a broader trend: a new redemption system where disgraced officials can regain favor if they publicly accept blame and agree to serve in Ukraine. Popov, however, has not admitted guilt—adding another layer of complexity to his supposed path to redemption.

Whether his return is a genuine second chance or a political trap remains to be seen. What’s certain is that Popov is stepping back onto the battlefield under far more perilous conditions—leading men who’ve already been treated as expendable, in a war where lives are spent recklessly.

Source: CNN – Russian general ousted after criticizing military top brass to return to battle – in charge of notorious unit of ex-convicts

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LONDON — North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui left Pyongyang on Monday night for an official visit to Russia, North Korean state-controlled media reported, as the U.S. and NATO again denounced growing military cooperation between the two neighbors.

The Korean Central News Agency said Choe and her entourage departed Pyongyang International Airport on Monday, with Moscow’s ambassador to the country Alexander Matsegora among those who saw the delegation off.

The visit “is taking place within the framework of a strategic dialogue — following an agreement to enhance ties reached by the leaders of our countries during the June 2024 summit,” a foreign ministry statement said.

Russia’s state-run Tass news agency said Choe arrived in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok on Tuesday and would head to Moscow on Wednesday, citing a diplomatic source.

The visit comes as Western concerns grow about the presence of North Korea troops in Russia ahead of their expected deployment to reinforce Moscow’s troops fighting Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine and western Russia.

President Joe Biden on Monday commented on the situation after casting his vote for next week’s elections in Delaware.

“It’s very dangerous, very dangerous,” Biden told reporters.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters at a Monday briefing that the U.S. believes there are now 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia, up from the American estimate of 3,000 given by National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby last week.

The troops have been sent “to train in eastern Russia” and “will probably augment Russian forces near Ukraine over the next several weeks,” she said.

Singh said some of Pyongyang’s troops are moving towards Russia’s western Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces established a foothold in August.

“A portion of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, near the border with Ukraine,” she said.

Singh — like Kirby and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week — framed the deployment as a sign of Moscow’s weakness.

“This would mark a further escalation and highlights President [Vladimir] Putin’s increasing desperation, as Russia has suffered extraordinary casualties on the battlefield, and an indication that Putin may be in more trouble than people realize,” she said.

“He’s tin-cupping to the DPRK, Iran, because he has failed to meet those battlefield objectives,” Singh added, using the acronym of the country’s official name — the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, meanwhile, said the U.S. has raised the issue with long-time North Korea backer China, to “make clear that we are concerned about it, and that they ought to be concerned about this destabilizing action by two of its neighbors, Russia and North Korea.”

“I’ll let them speak for themselves, but we have been making clear to China for some time that they have an influential voice in the region,” Miller added. “And they should be concerned about steps that Russia has taken to undermine stability. They should be concerned about steps that North Korea has taken to undermine stability and security.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday morning he had spoken with South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol to discuss the involvement of North Korean troops in the war.

“There is only one conclusion — this war is internationalized and goes beyond the borders of two states,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. The president said he provided Yoon with “fresh data” on the deployment of 3,000 North Korean soldiers to Russian training grounds close to the front.

Zelenskyy said the North Korean force will eventually grow to 12,000 troops — the highest estimate so far given by Ukraine, the U.S. or South Korea.

The two presidents “agreed to strengthen the exchange of intelligence and expertise” and to “develop an action strategy and a list of countermeasures in response to escalation” in collaboration with “mutual partners.”

Yoon said on Monday that a South Korean delegation will visit Ukraine this week to share information about the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and discuss further cooperation with Kyiv.

In a statement released by his office following the call with Zelenskyy, Yoon said Pyongyang is “engaging in a dangerous and unprecedented act.”

Yoon said his government “would not overlook the military collusion between North Korea and Russia that threatens South Korea’s security,” and committed to “closely monitor the evolving battlefield situation and implement effective, gradual response measures.”

“If North Korea, which has not engaged in modern warfare since the Korean War, were to acquire the experiences gained from the war in Ukraine and disseminate them to its military of over 1 million, it would pose a significant threat to South Korea’s security,” he added.

The South Korean Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday that the country’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that some of the North Korean generals and troops sent to Russia may have already moved to the front lines.

Yonhap said Seoul expects 10,900 North Korean troops to be sent to Russia by December.

Source

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