Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday a change at the top of the military command involved in the war in Ukraine, against the backdrop of a slowing Russian offensive and the difficulties encountered in achieving the goal of completely conquering the Donbas region. The Kremlin is also considering the possibility of a new mobilization in September.
During a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Vladimir Putin announced that Andrei Ivanaev, former commander of the Vostok group, will take over the leadership of the Center group, replacing General Valeri Solodciuk.
“The Central Group is one of our leadership units, carrying out the most important and crucial tasks in liberating the Donetsk People’s Republic. And the question of who will lead the group, who will command it, is a difficult one,” Putin stated, according to The Moscow Times.
At the same time, Solodciuk, accused of involvement in the Bucha massacre, was removed from troop command and appointed to head the Common Logistic Service of the Ministry of Defense. Also, Piotr Bolgaev, former Chief of Staff of the group, was designated as the commander of the Vostok group, which operates in the southern region of Donetsk, near the border with the Zaporoje region.
The Russian offensive slows down
The changes come at a time when the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has lost its momentum. According to the Ukrainian OSINT DeepState monitoring project, Russian troops only occupied 88 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in July, after having advanced 57 square kilometers in June.
In the month of May, the Russian army recorded a net loss of approximately 11 square kilometers. By comparison, between January and April, Moscow’s troops were conquering between 126 and 245 square kilometers per month, and by the end of last year, the pace had reached approximately 500 square kilometers per month.
According to Reuters, the Russian General Staff had promised Putin last year that the Ukrainian front would collapse quickly and that cities such as Konstantinovka, Drujkovka, Slaviansk, and Kramatorsk would come under Russian control.
Details, HERE