Russia's top military officer was put in charge of troops fighting in Ukraine on Wednesday, a move that appears to reflect the Kremlin's dissatisfaction with the current leadership and flaws in the military's performance. Russia's Defense Ministry said Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, was named the new commander of the unified group of forces in Ukraine, the AP reports. The previous commander, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, was demoted to Gerasimov's deputy along with two other generals. Gerasimov is widely considered the top architect of the Russian action in Ukraine.
The reshuffle, formally ordered by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, clearly came on Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval, signaling that he still has trust in his top military leaders who have faced broad criticism for the troops' performance in the conflict. It also suggests a recognition of flaws in carrying out what Putin called "the special military operation." While announcing Gerasimov's appointment, the Defense Ministry said it was aimed at improving coordination between various forces fighting in Ukraine. "Raising the level of leadership of the special military operation is linked to the expansion of the scale of the tasks being fulfilled as part of it and the need to organize closer interaction between branches of the military and to increase the quality of supplies and the efficiency of directing groups of forces," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Surovikin was credited with strengthening coordination and reinforcing control over Russian forces in Ukraine after his appointment in October. His demotion to the No. 2 role signaled that while Putin wasn't quite happy with his performance, he still trusts the general's expertise. Soon after Surovikin was appointed in October, Russian troops pulled back from the southern city of Kherson under the brunt of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. The retreat from the only regional center captured by Russia since it sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 came weeks after its annexation by Moscow and dealt a painful blow to the Kremlin.
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