Paranoid Putin: Officials' Arrests Signal ‘Coup-Proofing’ Efforts Amid Fears of Russian Soldier Rebellion

Vladimir Putin has been accused of trying to "coup proof" his regime by purging high-ranking officials.

Speculation about the Russian President losing control over his staff has intensified following the arrest of Major General Ivan Popov, 49, according to Mirror.

Popov, who previously commanded Russia's 58th Combined Arms Army in Ukraine, was dismissed from his military role last year after criticizing the "mass deaths and injuries" of Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

Last month, Russian state news outlet Tass reported that Popov was "arrested on suspicion of fraud." He is not the only high-ranking official to be detained recently.

Recently, Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff Vadim Shamarin was reportedly arrested, and last month, Yuri Kuznetsov, head of personnel at Russia's Defense Ministry, was detained on suspicion of bribery.

Trent Telenko, a former US Department of Defense employee who studied Russian military logistics, argues that these arrests indicate Putin's purge of the Russian military is accelerating. "It won't stop until no one competent is left," Telenko asserted.

Following Popov's arrest, Telenko posted on X (formerly Twitter): "58th Army of the Southern Military District, Ivan Popov, was one of the few competent Russian flag ranks. His removal is about Putin 'coup proofing' his military."

Ukrainian military blogger Igor Sushko has also commented on the arrests, suggesting there are "whispers of a rebellion among the soldiers."

After Popov's arrest and the decision to keep him in detention, Sushko posted on X: "COUP RISK RISING IN RUSSIA. The Kremlin regime reversed course and opted to keep the popular Popov in prison. House arrest denied. This is significant. Popov made various snarky comments while seeming relaxed."

However, Sushko has been known to post un-sourced details about the war on social media.

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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied that the arrests were part of any campaign, stating: "Of course, there is no talk of any campaigning here. It continues in all departments, be it either federal departments or at the municipal level."

Earlier in May, Putin began another six-year term as president, wielding extraordinary power.

Since becoming acting president on the last day of 1999, Putin has transformed Russia into a monolith, crushing political opposition, driving independent-minded journalists out of the country and promoting "traditional values" that marginalize many in society.