The situation for Russian military leadership in Ukraine is going from bad to worse as commanders who aren’t being killed are now being fired.
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense reported on Thursday that Russia is firing senior commanders for poor performance in Ukraine. Thursday’s update comes after reports of “several” high-ranking commanders being killed earlier this week.
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“In recent weeks, Russia has fired senior commanders who are considered to have performed poorly during the opening stages of its invasion of Ukraine,” the Defense Ministry tweeted. “A culture of cover-ups and scape-goating is probably prevalent within the Russian military and security system.”
Two generals were named by the U.K., though the ministry suggested other officials might be on their way out.
Lt. Gen. Serhiy Kisel, who commanded Russia’s 1st Guards Tank Army, was suspended for his failure to capture Kharkiv. Ukrainian forces pushed Russia out of the region and back over the border last weekend, officials said. The northeastern city has been under constant attack since Russia invaded the country on Feb. 24.
To the south, Russia’s commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, was “likely” suspended after Russia’s flagship, the Moskva, sunk, the U.K. said. There is some debate about what caused the ship’s demise, with Ukrainian forces claiming they hit the ship with a missile and Russia claiming it was the result of an onboard fire.
The U.K. also speculated that Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov “likely remains in post, but it is unclear whether he retains the confidence of President [Vladimir] Putin.”
Putin has become so concerned about his generals’ performance that he is beginning to make decisions for them, unnamed Western military sources told the Guardian.
“We think Putin and Gerasimov are involved in tactical decision-making at a level we would normally expect to be taken by a colonel or a brigadier,” the military source said.
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As commanders drop out of their posts, the hectic situation for military leadership could deteriorate even more.
“Many officials involved in the invasion of Ukraine will likely be increasingly distracted by efforts to avoid personal culpability for Russia’s operational set-backs,” the U.K. said. “This will likely place further strain on Russia’s centralised model of command and control, as officers increasingly seek to defer key decisions to their superiors. It will be difficult for Russia to regain the initiative under these conditions.”
