Amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the deputy chief of the Russian National Guard was reportedly detained on Thursday amid reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin is cracking down on treachery within his ranks.
According to Christo Grozev, CEO of the Netherlands-based investigative journalism group Bellingcat, Russian Gen. Roman Gavrilov, of Rosgvardia, the Russian Federation’s internal military force that reports directly to the president, was detained by the Russian security and counterintelligence agency, Federal Security Service (FSB).
The reason for Gavrilov’s incarceration was unclear at the time. Gavrilov was detained by the FSB’s military counter-intelligence section, according to one of Grozev’s sources, for “leaks of military info that led to loss of life,” while two other sources stated it was for “wasteful squandering of fuel.”
Alexander Khinshtein, a top United Russia official, claimed in a Telegram message that claims that Gavrilov had been jailed were “absolutely wrong” notwithstanding his resignation.
As Russian troops continue to bombard Ukrainian citizens and push on Kyiv, Putin declared in a speech on Wednesday that his country will experience a “self-purification” of “traitors.”
“The Russian people will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and simply spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew into their mouths,” Putin said on Wednesday. “I am convinced that such a natural and necessary self-purification of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to respond to any challenges.”
Flight trackers allegedly spotted a major evacuation of private aircraft flying out of Moscow and toward Dubai following the address, implying that Russian oligarchs may have fled ahead of Putin’s crackdown.
According to OVD Info, an independent group that monitors political persecutions, at least 14,980 people have been jailed in Russia since the war in Ukraine began on February 24.