Russia on Saturday announced the replacement of its top logistics officer, Army General Dmitry Bulgakov, while its offensive in Ukraine has shown difficulties in this area.
“Army General Dmitry Bulgakov has been relieved of his duties as deputy defense minister” and will be replaced by Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, who “will be responsible for the material and technical supply of the armed forces,” the defense ministry said in a press release, at a time when Russia is in the middle of a mobilization campaign.
SEE ALSO – War in Ukraine: According to Alain Barluet, the profiles mobilized by Russia are “much vague”.
Also read Partial Mobilization: Russia’s Admission of Weakness
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.
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.