Russian President Vladimir Putin has doubled down on his conviction that the invasion’s objectives can be achieved without new leadership — and is now turning to a trusted confidant who will carry out his orders without question, analysts said.
“General Armageddon” because of his use of brutal tactics as a commander in Syria, essentially has now been demoted to Gerasimov’s deputy.
Galeotti said Gerasimov’s appointment brings “additional political clout” to the day-to-day operational decisions but also signals an attempt to fix the Russian military’s growing factionalism. The Defense Ministry’s statement on Wednesday suggested that the reorganization was linked to an “expansion” of the operation and intended to “improve the quality … and effectiveness of the management of Russian forces.
Instead, there have been tens of thousands killed and wounded, and Putin was forced to announce an unpopular mobilization to conscript reinforcements. Four Ukrainian regions that Russia claims to have annexed, in violation of international law, are not fully under Moscow’s control. And Ukraine’s Western supporters are planning to send Kyiv shipments of additional and more powerful weapons.
The reshuffling has highlighted growing fault lines within the command, with analysts saying Surovikin’s demotion was a pointed snub to Kadyrov and Prigozhin, whose Wagner forces have led a months-long push to take the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
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