A Russian general claimed that after alerting the military leadership to the catastrophic circumstances on the front lines in Ukraine, where he claimed that Russian servicemen had been wounded as a result of the top military brass’s failures, he had been relieved of his command position.

Major General Ivan Popov, who oversaw the 58th Combined Arms Army, announced his dismissal in a voice message that was made public by a Russian politician.

The defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Reuters was unable to independently confirm the veracity of the audio message.