In recent weeks, Russia has sacked top commanders held responsible for the country’s poor performance in the early stages of its invasion of Ukraine, the UK Defense Ministry says.
According to a bulletin released on Thursday (19), British intelligence mainly points to Lieutenant General Serhiy Kisel and Vice Admiral Igor Osipov.
Kisel commanded the elite Tank Tank Army and was suspended for his failure to capture the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest, located in the south of the country. The Ukrainian counterattack has used the Kharkiv region as the main pressure point on the Russian border.
Osipov commanded Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and was probably suspended after the sinking of the Moskva, the main Russian ship in the region. The attack on Moskva was essential to boosting Ukraine’s morale in the conflict.
According to British intelligence, Russian Chief of Staff Valeriy Gerasimov remains in office, but it is unclear whether he retains the confidence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
UK Defense says a culture of cover-up and blame-finding prevails among the Russian military and is likely to make Russia’s initiative even more difficult going forward.
“This is likely to further strain Russia’s centralized command and control model, as officers increasingly seek to defer important decisions to their superiors.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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