Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced the immediate mobilization of at least 300,000 reservists while the Ukrainian army continues its counter-offensive.
Russia on Saturday announced the replacement of its senior officer in charge of logistics, at the start of a wide-ranging mobilization campaign and as the offensive in Ukraine showed organizational difficulties.
“Army General Dmitry Bulgakov has been relieved of his duties as deputy defense minister of the Russian Federation due to his transfer to another post,” the defense ministry said in a statement, without giving details.
He was replaced by Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, who until then headed the National Defense Control Center and will now, as deputy defense minister, be “responsible for the material and technical supply of the armed forces,” according to the same source.
target of Western sanctions
60-year-old Mikhail Mizintsev held many positions of responsibility on the General Staff during his long military career.
He is under threat of Western sanctions for his role in the siege of Mariupol, a port city in south-east Ukraine that was captured by Russian forces in May at the cost of extensive destruction.
This change in the general staff comes as President Vladimir Putin announced this week that hundreds of thousands of Russians would be mobilized to fuel his offensive in Ukraine.
This mobilization poses a great organizational challenge, since reservists must be called to the four corners of a vast territory to equip them, send them to training centers and then to the front lines.
However, military intervention in Ukraine has brought to light significant logistical difficulties, with analysts pointing to these shortcomings as one of the reasons for the difficulties Russian troops have encountered since the offensive began.