The Russian army is being swept following Prigozhin's revolt: after Popov, the commander of the occupants in Bakhmut Seliverstov fired too

The Russian command continues sweeping the Russian army after a riot organized by the owner of the PMC "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin. In particular, Vladimir Seliverstov, commander of the 106th Airborne Division of the Russian Armed Forces, fighting against Ukraine in the Bakhmut direction, was dismissed.

Seliverstov's dismissal was reported by Russian media. Propagandists noted that the reason is unknown, but suggested that it could be related to the commander's reputation for protecting the interests of his soldiers.

"Now they have such a peculiar sweeping going on after the Prirozhin rebellion. Gerasimov is dismissing officers, one of which is the 106th Airborne Division of the Russian Armed Forces, which is now fighting in the Bakhmut direction. Its commander Major General Vladimir Seliverstov is suspended," Oleg Kalashnikov, an officer of the press service of the 26th Artillery Brigade named after Roman Dashkevich commented.

A July 15 report by the U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicates that relatives of mobilized soldiers from the 137th Airborne Regiment of the 106th Division appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tula Region Governor Alexei Dyumin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in April because of poor conditions and lack of supplies in the unit.

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"Loud dissatisfaction with conditions in areas where Russian troops are defending against Ukrainian counteroffensives may have prompted Seliverstov to contact Russian military commanders, possibly contributing to his dismissal. ISW has not received confirmation of Seliverstov's dismissal, but Russian reports follow a pattern similar to previous claims of a change of command that turned out to be true," the analysts said.

They said Seliverstov's dismissal could be part of a "purge of recalcitrant commanders" and could indicate that "the corrosion of the Russian chain of command in Ukraine is accelerating."

"Internal problems within the war against Ukraine, exacerbated by poor decisions made by senior political and military leadership, are likely prompting strong-willed commanders to defy their senior commanders to retain their forces and lead combat-ready units," ISW pointed out.

It also noted that the "relatively effective defense" of the 58th Combined Armed Forces Army commanded by the now-suspended Ivan Popov and the 106th Division of the Russian Airborne Forces against Ukrainian counteroffensive operations "still demonstrates that they are among the most combat-ready formations on the front lines."

Popov and Seliverstov likely "contributed" to that effectiveness by being willing to "defy their superiors and the system." Seliverstov may have followed Popov's example or the Russian military leadership may have fired Seliverstov out of fear that he would do so, analysts said.

They also note that Seliverstov's dismissal suggests that the Russian military leadership is deeply concerned about subordination in Ukraine.

"Visible increasing insubordination may prompt the Russian military leadership to replace commanders they consider potentially insubordinate with loyal figures, preferring sycophants to competent and strong-willed officers capable of maintaining the combat efficiency of defending Russian formations at key frontline locations in Ukraine," the ISW report said.

As OBOZREVATEL reported, earlier the British intelligence pointed out the nuance with the dismissal of General Popov. They believe that it is probably related to his expression of concern about the problems of the troops of the Russian Federation. His audio message, which appeared on the net, signals serious dissatisfaction of a significant part of the officer staff with the actions of the Russian command.