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The Russian defense ministry said on Saturday that General Sergey Surovikin had been appointed as the single commander to lead all forces in the war against Ukraine. The move comes as Russia continues to suffer losses since its invasion, which is nearing its eighth month, and with experts claiming that Russia’s military leadership is in crisis.
Surovikin, 55, has led Russia’s Air and Space Forces since 2017. He has a reputation for “ruthlessness,” according to the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based defense policy think tank.
“Surovikin knows how to fight with bombers and missiles — that’s what he does,” Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service, said in June.
Surovikin has had two stints in jail. In 1991, soldiers under his command killed three demonstrators in Moscow. He also has faced corruption allegations.
In recent months, Ukraine has reportedly made strong gains in its counter-offensive. As Ukraine continues to fight back, Russia hopes that Surovikin’s new role will provide a boost amid the struggles. Ukraine recently regained access to some territory in Borshchova, outside of Kharkiv.
Russia calls this its “special military operation,” which Surovikin will now lead, the ministry said in a statement.
“He is known as a pretty ruthless commander who is short with subordinates and is known for his temper,” Michael Kofman, the director of Russia studies at CNA, a Virginia-based defense research institute, told the New York Times.
There are questions as to whether Russia faces a military collapse. CIA Director William Burns said in September that Russian President Vladimir Putin underestimated Ukraine’s ability to fend off attacks.
“Putin’s bet right now is that he is going to be tougher than the Ukrainians, the Europeans, the Americans … I believe, and my colleagues at the CIA believe that Putin is as wrong about that bet as he was profoundly wrong in his assumptions going back to last February about Ukrainian will to resist,” Burns said.
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