Russia's top military officer was put in charge of troops fighting in Ukraine on Wednesday, a move that appears to reflect the Kremlin's dissatisfaction with the current leadership and flaws in the military's performance.
Russia's Defense Ministry said that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, was named the new commander of the unified group of forces in Ukraine.
It also suggests a recognition of flaws in carrying out what Putin called "the special military operation" in Ukraine. Soon after Surovikin was appointed in October, Russian troops pulled back from the southern city of Kherson under the brunt of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. The retreat from the only regional center captured by Russia since it sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 came weeks after its annexation by Moscow and dealt a painful blow to the Kremlin.
Such criticism was also shared by Chechnya's leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, who deployed troops from his region to fight in Ukraine and repeatedly urged the Kremlin to up the ante in the conflict. Despite such attacks, Lapin was promoted to become the chief of staff of ground forces earlier this week. His promotion along with Gerasimov's new appointment appear to signal that Prigozhin and Kadyrov have little influence over the Kremlin's decision-making despite their increasing public activity.
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