Vladimir Putin brutally sacks ‘at least six’ Russian commanders as his army suffers massive losses
British intelligence has reported Russian president Vladimir Putin mercilessly sacked half a dozen of his top brass, as bombs hit Europe’s largest atomic power plant.
Merryn Johns
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AFP
4 min read
August 8, 2022 - 4:55AM
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Ukraine is investigating almost 26,000 suspected war crime cases committed since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion and has charged 135 people, its chief war crimes prosecutor told Reuters on Friday (August 5).
British Defence Intelligence claims Putin has brutally sacked “at least six” top commanders, with Russian losses continuing to grow.
The Ministry of Defence’s statement said a slew of commanders have been dismissed as Putin rages at their failures., according to The Sun.
Specifically, the report claims: “The poor performance of Russia’s armed forces during its invasion of Ukraine has been costly for Russia’s military leadership, highly likely resulting in the dismissal of at least six Russian commanders since the start of hostilities in February 2022.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) walks with Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov (C) as he takes part in the main naval parade marking Russian Navy Day. Picture: AFP
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) walks with Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov (C) as he takes part in the main naval parade marking Russian Navy Day. Picture: AFP
“The commanders of Russia’s Eastern and Western Military Districts have highly likely lost their commands. General-Colonel Aleksandr Chayko was dismissed as Commander of the Eastern Military District in May 2022.
“General-Colonel Aleksandr Zhuravlev, who has commanded the Western Military District since 2018, was absent from Russia’s Navy Day in St Petersburg on 31 July 2022 and has highly likely been replaced by General-Lieutenant Vladimir Kochetkov.
“General Aleksandr Vladimirovich Dvornikov has subsequently been removed after been given overall command of the operation in Ukraine, and General Sergei Surovikin has assumed command of the Southern Grouping of Forces from General Gennady Valeryevich Zhidko.”
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C) reviews naval troops as he attends the main naval parade marking the Russian Navy Day, in St. Petersburg. Picture: AFP
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C) reviews naval troops as he attends the main naval parade marking the Russian Navy Day, in St. Petersburg. Picture: AFP
The report concludes: “These dismissals are compounded by at least 10 Russian Generals killed on the battlefield in Ukraine. The cumulative effect on consistency of command is likely contributing to Russian tactical and operational difficulties.”
This comes as Ukrainian military officials report that Russia has lost at least 42,000 troops since the start of the conflict.
It comes as Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations over who bombed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear site in southern Ukraine, Europe’s largest atomic power complex, which has been under Russian control since the early days of the February 24 invasion.
www.forbes.com
