Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has fired a top general responsible for the war against Ukraine as he continues his purge of the top after Wagner’s attempted coup last month.
General Valery Gerasimov, 67, was deposed as conflict commander less than six months after being appointed. According to Russian media, he has been replaced by Colonel General Mikhail Teplinskiy.
Putin’s violent move – which has not been officially confirmed – is the latest shift in command over his nearly 17-month invasion of Ukraine.
During his misguided war, the Russian despot fired several leaders, including Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, also known as “The Butcher of Mariupol,” as well as General Rustam Muradov who was behind the Vuhledar massacre earlier this year.
Gerasimov will remain in charge of Russia’s armed forces as chief of the general staff, but overall responsibility for the war now falls to Teplinskiy, 54, commander of the country’s airborne forces, according to The Moscow Times, citing the military’s affiliated pro-war Z channels.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin (pictured) has fired another top general responsible for the war against Ukraine
According to Russian media, General Valery Gerasimov (pictured), 67, has been ousted as conflict commander
Putin is trying to regain control after Wagner’s armed uprising last month, which was led by warlord leader Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured)
It comes after Putin, desperately recovering from Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny last month, is enraged and humiliated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bringing key commanders of the Azov regiment home from Turkey.
The dictator claims he was “cheated” over an agreement at the end of the siege of Mariupol that Azov commander Denys Prokopenko, 32, and his lieutenants would remain in Turkey until the end of the raging war.
Putin is also likely to be even more enraged by Zelensky’s visit to the liberated Snake Island in the Black Sea to mark the 500th day of the war.
The move to fire Gerasimov comes just weeks after Wagner’s armed uprising against Putin’s regime, which was provoked by Prigozhin, the leader of the private mercenary group warlord, once a close friend of Putin’s.
Earlier this week, Putin hit back when state media leaked footage showing the Wagner chief wearing a series of laughable disguises.
Gerasimov’s removal also coincides with a NATO summit in Lithuania this week, which is expected to deepen Western support for Ukraine, and a decision by US President Joe Biden to sanction the supply of controversial cluster bombs to Kiev.
Rishi Sunak has said Britain ‘discourages’ the use of cluster bombs, which are banned by 123 countries, including the UK.
Mr Sunak said the United Kingdom had joined the convention banning their use, and wanted instead to focus on supplying tanks and long-range weapons to Kiev during their counter-offensive.
Gerasimov has not been seen in public since the mutiny, as Putin wants to place the blame elsewhere for the failure of the war.
Putin is furious and humiliated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bringing home the main commanders of the Azov regiment from Turkey (photo in flight)
Azov commander Denys Prokopenko, 32, spoke to the media and thanked President Zelensky and his heroes
Putin claims he was ‘cheated’ over an agreement at the end of the Mariupol siege that Azov commander Denys Prokopenko, 32, and his lieutenants would remain in Turkey until the end of the raging war
Nor has his deputy general Sergei ‘Armageddon’ Surovikin, 56, who is alleged to be incommunicado and being questioned over his knowledge of the ‘coup’, and tacit support for Prigozhin.
Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov, who met with Prigozhin on the day of the uprising, is also said to have disappeared and been in the line of fire.
Amid Putin’s desire to regain control, Prigozhin seems too powerful for the Russian president to hold on to.
Instead of going to Belarus to live in exile – under the terms of an agreement to end the mutiny – he reportedly resides openly in St Petersburg, despite Putin accusing him of treason.
His force of tens of thousands of Wagner fighters also remains in Russia.
Rybar Channel, a popular Russian military blog written by ex-military translator Mikhail Zvinchuk, claimed that Gerasimov now “has nothing to do with military operations.”
Gerasimov’s deputy general Sergei ‘Armageddon’ Surovikin (pictured), 56, who is reportedly incommunicado and being questioned over his knowledge of the ‘coup’ bid, has not been seen in public since Wagner’s mutiny
Earlier this week, Putin hit back when state media leaked footage showing the Wagner chief wearing a series of laughable disguises.
Teplinskiy is described as ‘de facto responsible for the [military] operation,” according to The Moscow Times.
Gerasimov’s demise is just the latest of several purges of the war’s high command by Putin.
It was unclear who led the first invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, raising suspicions that Putin intended to be hailed for what he said would be a victory within days.
In April, Alexander Dvornikov, dubbed the “butcher of Syria,” was in charge, but was replaced by General Gennady Zhidko, who was sacked in October following the surrender of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
Surovikin was then put in charge, but he only lasted until January, when Gerasimov took over.
Russian fury greets the way Zelensky got permission from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to bring home key Azov commanders. Russia paints the Azov command as Nazi.
The humble Putin, through his spokesman, claimed the release “violated” an agreement on the exchange of prisoners, admitting that Moscow was officially “not notified.”
“Nobody informed us about this. According to the agreements, these leaders would remain on Turkish territory until the end of the conflict,” spokeswoman Dmitry Peskov said.
Erdogan – seen by Putin as an ally – also said Ukraine deserved NATO membership.
A delighted Zelensky boasted ‘we will return from Turkey and bring our heroes home’.
The commanders of the Azov regiment Denys Prokopenko and Svyatoslav Palamar, along with Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko and Denys Shleha, were on the run from Zelensky. They later reappeared on Ukrainian soil in Lviv.
Former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich is said to have flown from Turkey to Moscow to act as a mediator between the parties.
Gerasimov (left with Sergei Shoigu) remains in charge of the Russian Armed Forces as Chief of General Staff, but overall responsibility for the war now passes to Teplinskiy
Prokopenko – a lieutenant colonel in the Ukrainian National Guard – made it clear that he and the other commanders would now return to the war.
He said, “I want to thank Mr. President [Volodymyr Zelensky]his team, the armed forces and every soldier who defended our homeland and continued to fight the occupiers on the front lines while we were held captive.
“It is a huge contribution to our independence and to the fight for our country and its territorial integrity…
“The most important thing is that the Ukrainian army has seized the strategic initiative in the front line.
“Every day we move forward, we destroy the enemy and liberate the temporarily occupied territories.
“We will do everything we can to speed up this process and bring the war to an end.”
Hardline war supporters in Russia see this as a sign of Putin’s weakness.
“He let them go to Turkey instead of shutting them out, and now he can’t stop them from coming back to fight us,” said one.