Russian Deputy Defense Minister for Logistics, Army General Dimitri Bulgakov, has been removed from office and replaced by Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, responsible for the Russian offensive on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
The Ministry of Defense has reported that Bulgakov has been “transferred to another post,” the Russian news agency TASS reported.. Bulgakov was until now one of the eleven deputy ministers of the Ministry of Defense, according to the body itself on its website.
Mizintsev, born in 1962, was until now commanding the National Center for Defense Control, a position he had held since December 2014. Bulgakov had held the position since 2010.
[Putin eleva la presión en Ucrania y la UE alerta de que es “el momento más peligroso” de la guerra]
Colonel-General Mizintsev is credited with harsh Russian attacks on Mariupol that ended with the city being seized in May after weeks of resistance by Ukrainian military and militia forces. The Russian military command has been object of criticism in recent days after the forced withdrawal by a Ukrainian counterattack in the Kharkov region of northeastern Ukraine.
Putin’s partial mobilization has significantly intensified the conflict over Ukraine at a time when Russia is facing a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has forced its troops to withdraw and hand over part of the occupied territory.
“Clearly it’s something that we have to take very seriously because, you know, we’re not in control. I’m not sure he’s in control either, really. This is obviously an escalation”, he assured SkyNews the British Foreign Secretary, Gillian Keegan.
Ukrainian presidential adviser, Mikhailo Podoliakhas confessed to Reuters that the Russian mobilization was “a predictable step” that would prove extremely unpopular and that it has revealed that the war was not proceeding according to Moscow’s plan.
immediate substitute
Mikhail Mizintsev, 60, has held numerous senior posts in the General Staff during his long military career. He is known to be the subject of western sanctions for his role in the siege of Mariupola port city in southeastern Ukraine, which Russian forces captured in May.
The change in the General Staff comes after the announcement of the Russian president Vladimir Putin this week of the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of Russians to boost their offensive in Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Minister has assured that the partial mobilization will entail the convocation of 300,000 reservists and that it will apply to those who have previous military experience.
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