PUTIN ON THE FRITZ

Putin Fires ‘General Armageddon’ After 3 Months in Charge of Ukraine Invasion

The replacement of Sergei Surovikin is “a clear acknowledgement that the campaign is falling short,” Britain’s defense ministry said.

Moscow has once again undergone something of a corporate restructuring as it attempts to keep its invasion of Ukraine alive, replacing the conflict’s military commander with Russia’s highest-ranking military officer, Russian Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. Sergei Surovikin, a notorious figure known as “General Armageddon,” lasted barely three months in the gig before being swapped out with Valery Gerasimov. A general who most recently served as chief of the General Staff of Armed Forces in Russia, Gerasimov’s appointment constitutes a bid to raise “the status of the leadership” in Ukraine, according to the ministry. Surovikin is expected to stay on as one of Gerasimov’s deputies. In an intelligence update, Britain’s defense ministry noted that the choice would likely be met “with extreme displeasure by much of the Russian ultra-nationalist and military blogger community,” who have lionized Surovikin while “increasingly” blaming Gerasimov “for the poor execution of the war.” His promotion is “a clear acknowledgement that the campaign is falling short of Russia’s strategic goals,” the memo added.