Russian investigators are examining accusations of treason made by a senior army general currently in custody on corruption charges. Evidence presented against Major General Ivan Popov is based on an alleged leak of classified data to Ukraine, his lawyer, Sergey Buinovsky has claimed.
The former commander of Russia's 58th Army, who was arrested on charges of large-scale fraud, claims unnamed Russian citizens provided confidential documents to Ukraine. The information was allegedly used by Kiev to launch its own probe against Popov, following which it accused the Russian general of waging an “aggressive war” and put him on its own wanted list.
“Investigators are conducting an inquiry into the facts, the results of which will be known according to procedural deadlines,” Buinovsky told TASS on Thursday.
The lawyer has appealed to Russian investigators to open a case against employees of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the country's successor to the soviet KGB, and the Kharkov Regional Prosecutor’s Office for illegally bringing charges against Popov.
Buinovsky claimed that the information published by Kharkov prosecutors contains classified Russian data. “Somehow secret documents became publicly available. Or it’s espionage,” he suggested.
Popov was arrested in May on charges of fraud involving construction materials for military fortifications in Zaporozhye Region. According to prosecutors, the alleged fraud involved 1,700 tons of steel purchased by the military administration of the region to construct defensive positions along the front line, in preparation to meet the 2023 Ukrainian offensive.
An unnamed businessman from Krasnodar Region allegedly sold the materials elsewhere, defrauding the government of more than 100 million rubles ($1.1 million).
In addition to fraud, Popov was charged on Thursday with forgery.
Popov commanded the 58th Guards Combined Arms Army, which defended the section of the Zaporozhye front centered on Rabotino, the town that turned out to be the focal point of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. He was relieved of command in July last year.