Top Russian general reportedly detained as Putin targets 'traitors' amid Ukraine invasion

Gen. Roman Gavrilov, deputy chief of Russian National Guard "Rosgvardia" was reportedly detained Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin promised a "purification" of his country to weed out "traitors."

Police officers and the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) servicemen patrol on Red Square in central Moscow on January 25, 2021. ((Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)) Servicemen of the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) gather outside Red Square in Moscow on February 2, 2021.  ((Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)) In this photo taken from video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting on measures of socio-economic support of the regions via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 16, 2022.  ((Russian Presidential Press Service via AP))

The reason for Gavrilov's detention wasn’t immediately clear. Grozev said one of his sources told him that Gavrilov was detained by the FSB's military counter-intelligence department over "leaks of military info that led to loss of life," while two other sources said the reason was for "wasteful squandering of fuel."