Russian troops have started retreating from several regions of Ukraine. On the other hand, Ukraine has increased the level of counterattacks. As a result, the Putin administration has been cornered. Russia has now announced the name of a new commander to handle the situation.
The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday (October 9) named Air Force General Sergei Surovikin as the overall commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
The news of the appointment of a new commander came shortly after a devastating explosion at a fuel tank on the bridge that connects Crimea to Russia on Saturday. However, Moscow has not officially commented on the matter.
Meanwhile, this week, the Russian Air Force began using its latest fighter jets, the Sukhoi-35S, in the Ukraine war. As a result, Moscow is looking at the new commander, Sergei Surovikin, who has experience in managing the air force, with great importance. Those concerned are optimistic that Russia will turn around under his leadership.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that this is Moscow's third senior military appointment in a week.
Earlier this week, the commanders of two of Russia's five military regions were dismissed and replaced by two new officers.
Russia has lost control of much of the territory it seized in the last few weeks of the war in Ukraine, drawing criticism from Putin and military officials. Moscow has quickly begun appointing new commanders.
It is worth noting that General Sergei Surovikin has experience in several major wars in the 1990s, including Tajikistan and Chechnya. He was also deployed to Syrian territory in 2015 in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, one of Russia's allies.
