Jan 12,2023:The Russian Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday that Valery Gerasimov, head of the general staff of the Russian Armed Forces, is taking over as the commander of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Gerasimov replaces General Sergei Surovikin, who was appointed to the post just three months ago. Surovikin has been demoted to one of Gerasimov’s deputies.
The ministry said in a statement that Gerasimov’s promotion was in part to address the “need to organize closer interaction between the branches and arms of the Armed Forces” and improve the support and effectiveness of “command and control of groupings of troops.”
The U.K.’s Defence Ministry said in an intelligence update on Wednesday that Gerasimov assuming the position “is a significant development in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approach to managing the war.”
Surovikin was appointed Russia’s commander in Ukraine in October after Russian forces faced several setbacks in the war.
But those setbacks largely continued under Surovikin’s leadership. In November, Russian forces withdrew from Kherson, the only provincial capital its military captured since invading Ukraine.
Russian forces and fighters with a private Russian mercenary group known as the Wagner Group are locked in an intense battle over the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
U.S. officials said last month they believe a power struggle may be emerging between the Russian military and the Wagner Group over influence with the Kremlin.
