Ukraine war: Sergei Surovikin removed as commander of Ukraine invasion force - BBC

President Vladimir Putin has removed Russia's apical commandant successful Ukraine, conscionable 3 months aft helium was installed.

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov volition present pb what Mr Putin presumption a "special subject operation".

Gen Gerasimov replaces Sergei Surovikin who has overseen caller brutal attacks connected Ukraine's vigor infrastructure.

The reshuffle comes arsenic Russians assertion they are making advancement successful eastbound Ukraine aft suffering a bid of subject defeats successful caller months.

Russia launched its penetration into Ukraine connected 24 February.

Gen Gerasimov, who has been successful station since 2012, is the longest-serving Russian main of wide unit of the post-Soviet era.

Gen Surovikin - present his lawman - has been dubbed "General Armageddon" for his brutal tactics successful erstwhile wars, including Russia's operations successful Syria and the dense bombardment of the metropolis of Aleppo successful particular.

Shortly aft helium was appointed to pb the cognition successful October, Russia began its run to destruct Ukraine's vigor infrastructure, leaving millions of Ukrainian civilians without powerfulness oregon moving h2o for extended periods successful the depths of winter. He besides oversaw Russia's withdrawal from the confederate metropolis of Kherson - a large occurrence for the Ukrainians.

Russia's defence ministry said the determination to regenerate Gen Surovikin was aimed astatine organising "closer interaction betwixt antithetic branches of the equipped forces and improving the prime and effectiveness of the absorption of Russian forces".

But the determination has been seen by immoderate arsenic a motion that helium whitethorn person gained excessively overmuch power.

"As the unified commandant successful Ukraine, Surovikin was becoming precise powerful, and was apt bypassing [Russian Defence Minister Sergei] Shoigu and Gerasimov erstwhile talking to Putin," military expert Rob Lee wrote connected Twitter.

Some of Russia's hawkish subject bloggers, who enactment the warfare but often criticise the mode it is being carried out, person been highly captious of Russia's subject leadership, including the caller caput of the peculiar operation, Gen Gerasimov.

Wednesday's announcement comes arsenic warring continues successful Soledar.

The autumn of Soledar whitethorn assistance Russian troops successful their battle connected the strategical metropolis of Bakhmut, astir 10km (six miles) to the south-west, providing them with a unafraid artillery presumption wrong scope of the city.

Soledar besides has heavy brackish mines, which could beryllium utilized to presumption troops and store equipment, protected from Ukrainian missiles.

Russia's mercenary Wagner Group has taken afloat recognition for "storming" it.

On Tuesday night, the group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said his forces were successful afloat power of Soledar. However, connected Wednesday the Russian defence ministry released a connection appearing to contradict his assertion - oregon that lone Wagner radical troops were involved.

This led to Mr Prigozhin repeating the assertion connected Wednesday evening. In a abbreviated connection connected Telegram, helium boasted that his mercenaries had killed astir 500 pro-Ukraine troops. "The full metropolis is littered with the corpses of Ukrainian soldiers," helium wrote.

Ukraine has precocious made akin comments astir piles of Russian bodies.

There is nary autarkic confirmation.

The evident differences successful Russia's authoritative communicative surrounding the latest events astir Soledar hint astatine divisions successful the country's subject leadership, peculiarly betwixt the Wagner Group and the defence ministry.

For his part, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky denied that Soledar had fallen.

"The violent authorities and its propagandists are trying to pretend" to person achieved immoderate successes successful Soledar, Mr Zelensky said successful his nightly code connected Wednesday, "but the warring continues".

"We bash everything, without stopping for a azygous day, to fortify Ukrainian defence. Our imaginable is growing," helium added.