Those whom the head of the Kremlin decides to replace disappear or die mysteriously. /p>
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already replaced 12 military leaders of the Russian army during the war against Ukraine. The dictator fears that they threaten his life.
The Washington Post writes about this.
The material says that such a personnel purge in the ranks of the Russian army indicates consolidation among the Russian command, united around Putin.
Those whom the head of the Kremlin decides to replace disappear or die mysteriously.
Death of Prigozhin
For example, the day before the death of the leader of the “Wagnerites” Evgeniy Prigozhin, Putin dismissed from his post as head of the Russian Air Force.
“After this, the dictator, together with the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army Gerasimov and the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense Shoigu, demonstrably visited the headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, which was one of the hotbeds of Prigozhin’s rebellion. The message of this visit was that Shoigu and Gerasimov remain in charge, embodying Putin “, the message says.
Western analysts say Wagner's death and the dismissal and disappearance of regular Russian military commanders highlight Putin's lack of trust in his military leadership.
Putin's dissatisfaction is growing
“Fearing treason, the Russian leader chose loyalty over competence, and he suffered internal strife that worsened his military machine,” the publication writes.
Another high-profile resignation of General Ivan Popov, who criticized the aggressor country’s Ministry of Defense. In particular, he was redirected to Syria, causing the anger of many pro-war Russian bloggers.
Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, who was dismissed in April 2023, also fell under Putin’s dissatisfaction, and then he joined the Wagnerites; no one has seen him since the mutiny.
According to the publication, since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there have been at least 12 high-ranking military leaders have been suspended.
Will dictator Shoigu be removed
Leonid Volkov, a senior political aide to jailed Russian politician Alexei Navalny, said Putin has no other choice choice but to leave Shoigu in charge.
“The man explained this by saying that a more talented defense minister would pose a threat to the president, especially if he manages to turn the war in favor of Russia,” the message states.
He continues that Shoigu is unchanged because he is very interesting. Therefore, it makes no sense to change him or someone else worse than Putin.
“And changing him for someone better and someone who will achieve success is too dangerous,” says Navalny’s assistant.
Exile to Syria
Putin has already sent disgraced generals Andrei Serdyukov, Alexander Chaiko and Sergei Kisel there.
Sergei Markov, a Kremlin-linked political consultant, said Popov's removal shows ongoing divisions in the army and widespread discontent among senior leadership.< /p>
Despite this, experts note that such a course of events will not lead to defeat in the Russian leadership.
Dara Masikot, an expert from the Russian military at the Rand Corp organization, emphasized that One issue that seems to be going unaddressed is the deteriorating morale of Russian troops at the front.
“The effect of this is that we will see more distortions in the chain of command, where those in Moscow are actually “They really don’t understand where the weak points are on their front line,” she said.
We add that Russia is becoming increasingly dependent on “unreliable players” due to Western sanctions and diplomatic pressure.
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