General Armageddon loses job in charge of Russian forces invading Ukraine after just three months
11 January 2023, 21:17
A Russian commander nicknamed "General Armageddon" has lost his job in charge of all of Moscow's forces invading Ukraine just months into the role.
General Sergey Surovikin has been demoted to deputy commander as the head of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, was put in charge of the war.
Surovikin – whose nickname came from Russian media, apparently due to his ruthlessness – had only been appointed in October.
The Russians have frequently sacked and replaced commanders since invading in February, a clear indication of their military's repeated failures against Ukraine.
His replacement, Gerasimov, is the top soldier in the Russian armed forces.
"The increase in the level of leadership of the special military operation is connected with the expansion in the scale of tasks ... the need to organise closer contact between different branches of the armed forces and improve the quality ... and effectiveness of the management of Russian forces," the Russian ministry of defence said.
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Surovikin, who will serve as Gerasimov's number two, came to his position with an infamous reputation.
He served in the Soviet Union's disastrous war in Afghanistan during the 1980s and told his soldiers to shoot at protesters in Moscow as the USSR fell apart.
Allegations against him say he oversaw terrible bombing campaigns in Syria, where Russia intervened to prop up Bashir al-Assad, and for directing chemical weapon attacks.
Kremlin watchers will be intrigued by Gerasimov's direct appointment to oversee the invasion, which the Russian government still euphemistically refers to as the "special military operation".
Surovikin was backed by a man who's been known as "Putin's chef", Yevgeny Prigozhin, who runs the Wagner Group of mercenaries.
Prigozhin has gained appreciation from some quarters in Russia and may be worrying the regime in Moscow, with the Kremlin challenging statements he makes about the war – such as when he announced this week that a town had been captured from Ukraine.
Gerasimov is seen as being on one side and Prigozhin as a rival.
There has been speculation about whether Surovikin's demotion and Gerasimov's direct involvement is due to that rivalry.
