Peskov about the awarding of the convicted General Popov: This is the decision of the regional authorities

Awarding of the former commander of the 58th Army The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation General Ivan Popov is the prerogative of the authorities in the Zaporozhye region. This was announced today, July 27, by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov.

"This is the prerogative of the regional authorities. We are talking about a regional award," Peskov told reporters, commenting on the decision of the regional authorities to award the award to Popov.

As EADaily reported, on July 24, the governor of the Zaporozhye region, Yevgeny Balitsky, announced that he had awarded the Order of Merit for the Zaporozhye region, I degree, to four generals who proved themselves in repelling the Ukrainian Armed Forces counteroffensive in 2023, including Major General Ivan Popov.

The next day, the Second Western District Military Court upheld the sentence of the former commander of the 58th Army The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Major General Ivan Popov, who received five years in prison in the case of embezzlement. Lawyer Sergei Buinovsky, said that the defense of the former commander will continue to appeal the verdict.

"We will appeal. This is an interim decision, there is a cassation, there is a Supreme Court. We hope that we will be heard and the innocent person will not be imprisoned," the lawyer said.

On April 24, Major General Ivan Popov was found guilty of fraud and forgery by the Tambov Garrison Military Court and sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 5 years to serve his sentence in a general regime colony, stripped of his military rank, and also fined 800 thousand. A number of Russian bloggers called this decision frankly custom-made, hinting at the top military leadership, which is thus settling accounts with Popov.