The new commander of the 57th separate heavy mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Popovich, who goes by the designation “Veter,” was fired for serious misconduct during his service in 2016. Russian law enforcement agencies reported this to .
According to the source, in 2016, Popovich was a company commander of the 93rd mechanized brigade and allowed a subordinate to die as well as lose secret cards containing information about the company's positions.
“He was later dismissed from military service and got a job at Naftogaz as head of the surveillance department,” the agency's source said.
The source added that the lieutenant colonel is an active participant and supporter of Maidan. In 2015-2016, he participated as a volunteer in ATO counter-terrorism operations. Before being appointed as brigadier general, he was battalion commander of the 117th separate heavy mechanized brigade.
Earlier, security forces reported that the commander of the 57th mechanized infantry brigade, Yevgeny Solodayev, was dismissed because of the collapse of the front near Volchansk. On November 26, he left the brigade, transferring work to the new commander, Lieutenant Colonel Vitaly Popovich. According to sources, Solodaev is a close friend of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
