Russian President Vladimir Putin’s revolving door of generals “probably” indicates fractures in the Kremlin and disagreement among top officials as the war in Ukraine enters its 11th month.
“The continued churn of senior Russian officers probably reflects internal divisions regarding the Russian Ministry of Defense’s future conduct of the war,” a British Defense intelligence update stated on Friday. The report followed rumblings that Lieutenant General Yevgeniy Nikiforov is “likely in the process of taking over command” of Russia’s Western Group of Forces.
Nikiforov previously served as the Chief of Staff of Russia’s Eastern Group of Forces, meaning he would have had a hand in planning and executing the disastrous attempt to advance on Kyiv in the initial phase of the invasion, according the British Ministry of Defense.
The report also noted that Nikiforov would be “at least” the fourth commander of the Western groups since the start of the invasion, replacing Colonel General Sergei Kuzovlev, who served for only three months in his role. The failure to decisively end the conflict has seen Russia and Ukraine enter the 11th month of fighting with little end in sight.—Fox News
