Russia named a new commander for its military forces, its second in just three months, as President Vladimir Putin‘s Ukraine campaign appeared to be faltering.
What Happened: Putin’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday appointed Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff as Russia’s overall commander for its war or Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, the country’s defense ministry said on Telegram.
The appointment of Gerasimov immediately demoted General Sergei Surovikin, who was appointed only in October to lead the war on the Russian front. Surovikin was the first to be handed sole charge of the campaign last year, and his tenure oversaw heavy attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Surovikin would now serve as one of Gerasimov’s three deputies as part of a new “joint group of forces,” the ministry said, with Army Gen. Oleg Salyukov and Col. Gen. Alexey Kim.
The administration said the “increase in the level of leadership” was “related to the amplified range of tasks” and the necessity of closer cooperation between Russian armed forces branches.
Meanwhile, in its intelligence update, the U.K. defense ministry called Gerasimov’s appointment “a significant development” in Putin’s approach to the war.
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