Popov remains in custody — court denies general’s request to return to war

Russian Armed Forces Major General Ivan Popov will remain in pre-trial detention. On April 11, the Second Western District Military Court rejected his legal team’s request to ease his conditions. The news was reported by Russian media outlets.

Popov is currently being held in a detention center in Tambov Oblast.

Defense hoped to send him back to the front

Days before the hearing, Popov’s lawyers claimed that they had reached an agreement with Russia’s Ministry of Defense to redeploy the general to the war in Ukraine. However, the court refused this request.

Previously transferred from house arrest

On February 28, 2024, the Tambov Garrison Military Court transferred Popov from house arrest to pre-trial detention, citing violations of his release conditions.

Popov reportedly sent an open letter to Putin

In late March, media reported that Popov had written an open letter to President Vladimir Putin in which he:

called the charges against him baseless,
expressed willingness to “defend the Motherland and defeat the enemy”,
and requested to be sent back to Ukraine.

Suspected of large-scale fraud

Popov was arrested in May 2024. Investigators allege that in 2023 he:

was active in the Zaporizhzhia direction,
sold over 1,700 tons of metal earmarked for building military fortifications,
with damages exceeding 105 million rubles.

What do you think - should military personnel who actively participated in the war be exempted from liability for financial crimes?

Ivan Popov Russia Military Court Ukraine War Fraud