Russian commanders dismissed for ‘poor Ukraine performance’ in Putin clearout
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Russia has fired several military commanders due to the “poor performance” during the invasion of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence claims.
The UK's MoD said on Twitter on Sunday that it was “highly likely” that Russian officials have fired “at least six” commanders as Vladimir Putin's invasion continues to make slow progress.
The tweet said: "The poor performance of Russia's armed forces during its invasion of Ukraine has been costly for Russia's military leadership, highly likely resulting in the dismissal of at least six Russian commanders since the start of hostilities in February 2022."
READ MORE: 'Paranoid' Russian troops burning bodies of dead Ukrainians in mobile incinerators
Russia foreign minister Sergey Lavrov had originally said that the goal of the military invasion was to "ensure the demilitarization of Ukraine" and "ensure the denazification of Ukraine", Newsweek reported.
However, Nato, the United States and the UK have been among the parties keen to help Ukraine with military and financial aid.
The CIA and MI6 estimated in late July that around 15,000 Russian troops have died in the conflict and Russia's planned swift capture of Kyiv failed to materialise.
Putin subsequently scaled back efforts in Ukraine's capital and has focussed instead on the eastern and southern regions in a bid to create a larger Russia-held area around the annexed Crimea region.
The MoD put the Russian military sackings down to continuing failures in Ukraine.
A statement in the tweet continued: "The commanders of Russia's Eastern and Western Military Districts have highly likely lost their commands.
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"General-Colonel Aleksandr Chayko was dismissed as Commander of the Eastern Military District in May 2022.
“General-Colonel Aleksandr Zhuravlev, who has commanded the Western Military District since 2018, was absent from Russia's Navy Day in St. Petersburg on 31 July 2022 and has highly likely been replaced by General-Lieutenant Vladimir Kochetkov.
The MoD also claim that General Aleksandr Vladimirovich Dvornikov been removed after previously having "overall command of the operation in Ukraine", with General Sergei Surovikin additionally replacing General Gennady Valeryevick Zhidko as head of the Southern Grouping of Forces .
The dismissals follow the deaths of least 10 Russian Generals on the battlefield in Ukraine.
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- Russia Ukraine war
- Vladimir Putin
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