Attack on Ukraine: Russia swaps commander

After numerous defeats, the Russian troops in Ukraine have a new commander. Russian Air Force Commander General Surovikin is to lead the invasion, the Defense Ministry said.

After a series of defeats, the Russian army has changed the commander of its Ukraine offensive. The commander of the Russian air force, General Sergey Surovikin, has been appointed commander of all Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. This was announced by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu through a spokesman. Surovikin is now to lead the “military special operation”.

The 55-year-old Surovik is considered an officer with extensive experience in wars, for example in Syria and before that in the Russian republic of Chechnya in the North Caucasus. The winner of the “Hero of Russia” award was appointed commander of the space forces in 2017.

Surovikin already commands forces in the south

This is the first time that a single commander is officially responsible for the entire Russian force in Ukraine. In the summer, the military announced that Surovikin had been given command of Russian troops in southern Ukraine.

The name of the previous commander of the operation in Ukraine was never officially mentioned. But according to Russian media reports, this was Alexander Dvornikov, who had also previously served in Chechnya and Syria.

Withdrawal from the Kharkiv region

The replacement of the commander in Ukraine, which was unusually made public, follows a series of defeats by the Russian army in Ukraine.

Russian troops were driven out of most of the Kharkiv region in north-eastern Ukraine by the Ukrainian army in early September. The Russian side also lost large areas in the Kherson region in the south. To the east at Lyman, the Russian soldiers were nearly encircled. As a result, Surovikin faces major challenges.

Critics called for a redesign

These setbacks led to open criticism in Moscow, aimed primarily at Defense Minister Shoigu. According to commentators, with the appointment of Surovikin he is now accommodating those who, in the face of the defeats, had called for troops to be regrouped 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.

Explosion on the Crimean bridge

A few hours before Surovikin’s appointment was announced, an explosion occurred on the bridge between the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula and the Russian mainland, which is strategically important for Moscow. Parts of the bridge collapsed, killing three people.

Russia cited a truck bomb as the cause of the explosion. It was not announced who was held responsible for the bomb attack.