Russia has replaced this Wednesday the commander of the military forces who have been fighting in Ukraine since February 2022, a position that will be assumed by Valery Gerasimovcurrent Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army.
Gerasimov, 67, takes over from General Sergei Surovikinwho was the one who recommended the Russian withdrawal from the northern Ukrainian region of Kherson in November, considered the worst setback suffered by Russian troops in the conflict.
By order of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Surovikin will now hold the post of joint troop group deputy chief in the zone of the “special military operation”. The reason for the appointment of Gerasimov is “the expansion of the magnitude of the objectives to be met and the need to organize closer cooperation between the different troops of the Russian Army.”
In addition, the arrival of Gerasimov to the position seeks improve the quality of supplies and the effectiveness of command of the grouping of forces. Surovikin, who has combat experience in Syria, is already head of the Air Force.
The other deputy head of the Russian forces in Ukraine will be Oleg Salyukovcommander of the Army, and Alexei KimDeputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
Setback after setback for Russia
Since the capture of the town of Lisichansk at the beginning of July last year, the Russian Army suffered several setbackssuch as the withdrawal from Kherson, including the regional capital, and from part of the Kharkiv region.
Subsequently, Shoigu announced a urgent reform of the Army which included increasing the number of men to a million and a half, almost half of them professional soldiers.
Right now, Russian troops and units of the Wagner private military company are fighting in the streets of the town of solderin the Donetsk region.
The conquest of that bastion would not only be the first great Russian victory in more than half a year but would pave the way to attack Bakhmut, a major crossroads leading to the main Ukrainian strongholds in Donbas.
Source: Lasexta
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
