Press
The wave of dismissals in Russia’s military continues: According to Russian sources, General Akhmedov has also been fired. There were enough reasons for dismissal.
Moscow – Hundreds of Russian soldiers waited for two hours last June near the Ukrainian town of Kreminna for a speech by their commander, General Sukhrab Akhmedov. Suddenly a Himars missile hit the crowd and, according to Russian military bloggers, killed about a hundred soldiers and wounded about a hundred more. Now the very general they were waiting for has lost his job.
Himars attack after careless troop gathering: General responsible probably fired
Military observers commented on the incident at the time as reckless. Ukraine War Concentrating so many soldiers in one place for such a long time without protection made them easy prey. Apparently, Ukraine managed to identify the location and attack it with Himars, as the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported with reference to Russian military bloggers.
“During the several days of fighting in the direction of South Donetsk, there were fewer casualties than due to the criminal stupidity of the division commander,” criticized the well-known pro-nationalist military blogger Rybar. Now the general responsible has been dismissed and even arrested, according to unconfirmed reports from Russian military bloggers. The Belarusian media Nexta and the Russian daily newspaper Commersant also reported that the general had lost his post.
Military failure in the Ukraine war as a reason for termination? “No notable tactical successes”
There are apparently numerous possible reasons for the resignation. Akhmedov most recently commanded the Russian 20th Army, which is currently deployed on the front line towards Lyman. During the offensive on the Kharkiv-Luhansk axis in winter and spring 2024, it was unable to achieve “any significant tactical successes in this area,” according to the US war experts at ISW about the background. The Russian military bloggers also directly linked the general’s disempowerment to serious problems with his command in Ukraine.
The US think tank cites the grueling Russian attacks in Wuldedar in the winter two years ago and the heavy losses of his troops in the summer of 2023 as evidence of the general’s poor leadership. The ISW cannot confirm whether the general actually had to vacate his post. “But the allegations of his dismissal are notable as this would be the first dismissal of an officer actively commanding Russian forces in Ukraine as part of the latest round of dismissals,” the US think tank said.
Corruption scandals shake Moscow’s military – but Kremlin criticism also leads to arrest
The news of Akhmedov’s alleged dismissal comes at a time of personnel changes in the Russian military. In mid-May, the Russian President Wladimir Putin surprisingly replaced his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, with the economist Andrei Belousov. The Kremlin officially justified this move by saying that it was intended to bring defense spending under control. In addition, numerous generals in the defense ministry had to resign: Vadim Shamarin, the deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, was arrested on suspicion of corruption, just as General Yuri Kuznetsov and one of the deputy Russian defense ministers, Timor Ivanov, had previously been arrested.
Vladimir Verteletsky, the head of the department for ensuring state purchases of weapons and military equipment, was also handcuffed. Moscow accuses him of abuse of office. Most recently, Russian General Ivan Popov, who was previously the commander of a large Russian unit stationed in southern Ukraine, was also arrested. According to Moscow, there is suspicion of fraud. Popov had previously made public the difficulties of the Russian army and criticized Russia’s military operation.
Wagner boss Prigoschin also repeatedly denounced corruption
Corruption in the Ministry of Defense and the military is a well-known problem in Russia. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a mysterious plane crash last year, had repeatedly denounced corruption in the highest ranks of the Russian army. According to the Kremlin, the increasing number of arrests of high-ranking army personnel in connection with corruption allegations is not a sign of a purge. “The fight against corruption is a continuous effort, not a campaign,” said government spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday.
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