Putin replaces commander of war in Ukraine
Mike Brest
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to replace the leader of his forces in Ukraine after only three months.
Gen. Valery Gerasimov will take over from Gen. Sergey Surovikin, Russia‘s Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday.
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“On 11 January 2023, Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu assigns new leadership of special military operation,” the ministry said Wednesday on its Telegram channel. “Chief of General Staff General of the Army Valery Gerasimov has been assigned the commander of the Joint Group of Forces.”
The ministry said Surovikin, who was appointed to lead the armed forces in October, will now serve as one of Gerasimov’s three deputies, along with Army Gen. Oleg Salyukov and Col. Gen. Alexey Kim.
“The higher level of military command in the special military operation is related to the broader scope of missions tackled in its course and the need to organize closer coordination between military branches and services of the armed forces and also the increased quality of all types of logistics support and efficiency in command and control of the groups of troops (forces),” the ministry said.
The announcement comes as Russia appears to be close to taking the largely flattened salt mine town of Soledar in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, near Bakhmut.
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“Russian forces conducted ground attacks across the Donetsk Oblast frontline and made gains around Soledar but have not captured the settlement, despite false claims,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update on the war.
“We definitely continue to see very intense fighting near Bakhmut and in the vicinity of Soledar. You know, as you’ve seen, it’s been a lot of back and forth, particularly around the Soledar area,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said at Tuesday’s briefing. “Russia has been very clear that it intends to continue to try to take and hold Ukrainian territory, as evidenced by their invasion. So we have no reason to believe that they’re going to let up on the throttle when it comes to operations.”