Sergei Surovikin removed as commander of Ukraine invasion force

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12th Jan, 2023. 03:39 am
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Vladimir Putin has removed Russia’s top commander in Ukraine, just three months after he was installed.

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov will now lead what Mr Putin terms a “special military operation”.

Gen Gerasimov replaces Sergei Surovikin who has overseen recent brutal attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

The reshuffle comes as Russians claim they are making progress in eastern Ukraine. Though after suffering a series of military defeats in recent months.

Russia launched its invasion into Ukraine on 24 February.

Gen Gerasimov, who has been in post since 2012, is the longest-serving Russian chief of general staff of the post-Soviet era.

Gen Surovikin – now his deputy – has been dubbed “General Armageddon” for his brutal tactics in previous wars, including Russia’s operations in Syria and the heavy bombardment of the city of Aleppo in particular.

Shortly after he was appointed to lead the operation in October. Russia began its campaign to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions of Ukrainian civilians without power or running water for extended periods in the depths of winter. He also oversaw Russia’s withdrawal from the southern city of Kherson – a major success for the Ukrainians.

The decision to replace Gen Surovikin was made in order to organize “closer contact between different branches of the armed forces and improve the quality and effectiveness of Russian forces management,” according to Russia’s defense ministry.

However, some regard the action as an indication that he has amassed too much authority.

“As Ukraine’s unified commander, Surovikin was becoming very strong, and was likely bypassing [Russian Defense Minister Sergei] Shoigu and Gerasimov when speaking with Putin,” military analyst Rob Lee remarked on Twitter.

Some of Russia’s hawkish military bloggers, who support the war but regularly criticize how it is being carried out. They have been harshly critical of Russia’s military leadership, particularly Gen Gerasimov, the new director of the special operation.

Soledar also has deep salt mines, which could be used to station troops and store equipment, protected from Ukrainian missiles.

Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group has taken full credit for “storming” it.

On Tuesday night, the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said his forces were in full control of Soledar. However, on Wednesday the Russian defense ministry released a statement appearing to contradict his claim – or that only Wagner group troops were involved.

This led to Mr Prigozhin repeating the claim on Wednesday evening. In a short statement on Telegram, he boasted that his mercenaries had killed around 500 pro-Ukraine troops. “The whole city is littered with the corpses of Ukrainian soldiers,” he wrote.

Ukraine has recently made similar comments about piles of Russian bodies.

There is no independent confirmation.

The apparent differences in Russia’s official narrative surrounding the latest events around. Soledar hint at divisions in the country’s military leadership. particularly between the Wagner Group and the defense ministry.

For his part, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky denied that Soledar had fallen.

“The terrorist state and its propagandists are trying to pretend” to have achieved some successes in Soledar, Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Wednesday, “but the fighting continues”.

“We do everything, without stopping for a single day, to strengthen Ukrainian defense. Our potential is growing,” he added.

Sergei Surovikin removed as commander of Ukraine invasion force

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