After numerous defeats in their war of aggression, Russian troops in Ukraine now have a new commander.
Army General Sergei Surovikin, 55, was sent by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to lead the “special military operation” – as Russia calls the war against Ukraine – ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov in Moscow said on Tuesday. Saturday.
According to commentators, Shoigu is accommodating his critics, who in view of the defeats have called for the regrouping of troops in Ukraine. The situation was recently described as chaotic and catastrophic by military bloggers close to the Kremlin. According to the media, war reporters, field commanders and Wagner’s private combat troops reacted enthusiastically to the appointment of the “responsible” soldier.
More on the war in Ukraine:
Experience from Syria and Chechnya
Surovikin is considered an officer with extensive experience in warfare, including in the past in Syria and before that in the Russian republic of Chechnya in the North Caucasus. The “Hero of Russia” was appointed commander of the space forces in 2017. In view of the many successes of the Ukrainian army in its defensive offensive and the reconquest of many cities, Surovikin faces great challenges.
The Russian army had recently withdrawn from the Kharkiv region and also had to give up the strategically important city of Lyman in the Donetsk region. This once again sharpened criticism of the Russian military leadership.
300,000 reservists must be recruited
Faced with this, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin ordered partial mobilization in September, which, in addition to new commanders, is expected to bring about a turnaround for Russia in Ukraine. About 300,000 reservists are to be called in to hold the occupied parts of the Kherson, Zaporizhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions and recapture the lost regions.
Russia annexed the largely occupied areas after false referendums on accession to its territory under international protest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that all occupied territories will be liberated, including the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.