Russian President Vladimir Putin demoted the commander leading his troops in Ukraine to a deputy role after serving in the top job for only three months, Russia’s defense ministry said Wednesday.
Gen. Valery Gerasimov will take over for Sergei Surovikin aka ‘General Armageddon’ after the former commander was handed sole charge over the brutal campaign in October – a move Moscow said is an attempt to diversify roles and increase lines of communication.
Surovikin will now serve alongside Army Gen. Oleg Salyukov and Col. Gen. Alexey Kim as deputies in a new “joint group” that will work on organizing “closer cooperation between the types and branches of the armed forces,” Ukrainian news outlet Pravda said.
The news followed directives issued by Putin in December when he called on his top brass to coordinate more closely with regional heads in occupied areas of Ukraine to better outfit troops and provide specific needs based on those lines of communication.
Surovikin, who has been championed by Moscow for his military successes during the Second Chechen War and in Syria, was appointed after Russia lost Kharkiv when Ukrainian troops forced their withdrawal.
Under Surovikin, Russia launched a massive aerial campaign against Ukrainian civilians and targeted the nation’s energy infrastructure – a tactic that Western defense officials said Russia would be unable to sustain and which has recently faltered.
The Russian withdrawal from Kherson and subsequent losses and stalled efforts in Donetsk also ensued under Surovikin, despite intense ground warfare in areas like Bakhmut and recently Soledar.
