In Russia, there was a change of commander of the so-called

"special military operation" in Ukraine - instead of

Sergey Surovikin

, the head of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, Valery Gerasimov, was appointed to this position.

Surovikin, by order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation

Serhiy Shoigu

, was appointed as Gerasimov's deputy.

Surovikin is considered a person close to the head of PMK "Wagner"

Yevgeny Prigozhin

, known for his criticism of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff.

His demotion changes the balance in the struggle of the "towers of the Kremlin" for influence on the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

TSN.ua has collected interesting opinions of experts and forecasts regarding the struggle for power in the military command of the Russian Federation and its impact on the situation in Ukraine.

The Kremlin "gave a hat" to the radicals

Mykhailo Podolyak

, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine 

 , believes that the change of the commander of the Russian troops in Ukraine indicates the "revenge" of classic generalship in the Russian Federation.

"Surovikin was close to the ultra-radical group in Putin's entourage, which claimed the status of "we are the main ones". I mean Prigozhin, and the same Surovikin, and the same Kadyrov. That is, this group very powerfully advanced to the top of the "food chain" , from the bottom up," explained Podolyak.

As the adviser to the head of the presidential office noted,

in the Kremlin "classical generals are beginning to supplant Prigozhin and FSB officers"

.

Advisor to the President's Office,

Oleksiy Arestovych

, agrees that "the

ultra-right in Russia has been given a hat

".

"The situation has been rebalanced.

There, three clans are fighting around Putin - conventional oligarchs with a liberal streak, classic security forces and ultra-crazy right-wingers - Kadyrov, Zolotov and Prigozhin

... The ultra-right howled, shouted, accused the military of all sins, it seemed to us that Putin wrote them off and stomped, until there is such a bell," - said Arestovych.

As the adviser of the OPU emphasized, Surovikin, who gravitated to the far-right, was appointed only as Gerasimov's deputy.

"From the hardware point of view, it's a slap in the face - you're a fool and you didn't make it, but you can't immediately write off the rank and file. Do you remember how Surovikin was pumped up - a ruthless general who trampled Syria and will trample you, a general of difficult decisions. Who can remember Surovikin's achievements from the moment it was put up to the moment it was taken down? I can - a stolen raccoon from the Kherson Zoo," he said.

Ex-deputy of the State Duma of Russia

Ilya Ponomaryov

believes that Putin is restoring the balance in his immediate circle by personnel reshuffles.

"I believe that this is not some kind of punishment for what happened in Makiivka, or the promotion of Gerasimov for some achievements. There were no achievements there.

I believe that this happened solely because Mr. Prigozhin criticized Gerasimov many times and even started to support Surovikin

. For Putin, this is a source of his own danger, so he is trying to restore the balance," says Ponomaryov.

Is Putin raising the stakes?

Former spokesman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 

Vladyslav Seleznyov,

considers the changes in the Russian military leadership to be evidence that Putin is ready to raise the stakes.

"Most likely, he will attract additional reserves to implement the plan to seize Luhansk and Donetsk regions. He will try to gain a foothold in the south in order to maintain the corridor connecting occupied Donetsk with occupied Crimea," he predicts.

Seleznyov considers personnel decisions to be a strengthening of the "special operation" leadership.

"They act in such a way to appoint an official with the highest authority. Gerasimov, being the commander of the Joint Group of Forces, still remains the chief of the General Staff...

Now Gerasimov will be able not only to manage the operation, but also to determine what is necessary for an effective fulfilling the tasks set by Putin and Shoigu

," the expert noted.

At the same time, Surovikin retained the post of commander of the Russian Air and Space Forces, so he will "work in the field", predicts Seleznev. 

The expert did not rule out that

with the appointment of Gerasimov, additional mobilization will be carried out in the Russian Federation and combat operations will be intensified in various areas of the front

.

Gerasimov - a general who "does not fight, but scares"

Mykhailo Podolyak

, adviser to the head of the OPU

, believes that Gerasimov's appointment will not have a major impact on the course of the war in Ukraine. 

"Gerasimov is the author of the concept of hybrid war. And hybrid war is when we scare everyone, everyone is afraid, and at this time we use blackmail to get one or another dividend. That is, Gerasimov does not fight, but sells the concept of "fear us". This the appointment does not significantly affect the ability of the Russian army to perform certain tasks," explained the adviser to the head of the OP. 

According to OPU adviser Oleksiy Arestovych,

Gerasimov will leave his post as ingloriously as Surovikin

.

"According to rumors, he was given three months - this is exactly the term of the Russian offensive efforts that they foresee," he said.

Arestovych also noted that the general command of the operation is now not Prigozhin's friend Surovikin, but the person Prigozhin publicly insulted.

In his opinion,

now PVK "Wagner" may have problems with supply

.

Read also:

  • Ukraine news

  • War in Ukraine

  • News of Ukraine: video