Kevin J. Tracy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 9, 2022
With 10 Russian Generals KIA, Another 3 Get Fired as Russian Military Leadership Shortage Worsens
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly fired three of his generals.
- General Aleksandr Vladimirovich Dvornikov has been in command of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, slow progress and the threat of the conflict continuing into the brutal Ukrainian winter has forced Putin to make the tough decision to fire the general and replace him with someone who might be able to accomplish Russia's goals before the cold weather begins and Russian problems multiply.
- General-Colonel Aleksandr Zhuravlev of Russia's Western Military District is also suspected to have been fired after he did not appear at Navy Day celebrations in St. Petersburg last week.
- General Gennady Valeryevich Zhidko was also relieved of his command over the Southern Grouping of Forces.
While many media outlets are dismissing General Gennady Veleryevich Zhidko's resignation as minor news, I find it the most interesting of the dismissals. The Southern Grouping of Forces represents Russia's forces stationed along the Southern Ukrainian border and also the border with the nation of Georgia.
Perhaps President Putin was unhappy with the military reediness of the forces stationed in this Area of Responsibility. Although I find it hard to believe Putin didn't know about it sooner, it's also possible that Putin discovered the immense corruption in this military command after an investigation into the lack of rediness. Alternatively, it may also be possible that he's looking for a new general to prepare for a second conflict in Georgia to punish NATO for admitting Sweden and Finland into the military alliance. Russia, of course, is too bogged down to handle a conflict in Finland, but an assault on Georgia would be unexpected and considerably easier considering the size and perceived weakness of the former Soviet Republic.
Either way, the dismissals are a strong indication of Putin's unhappiness with the performance of the Russian Armed Forces' performance in the Ukrainian war. As of August 9, 2022; ten Russian Generals have been killed in different strikes launched by the Ukrainian forces (or dissatisfied Russian troops assassinating their commanders).
The deaths illustrate a major shortcoming in Russia's centralized command structure in the fog of war. Low ranking officers and enlisted combatants have virtually no authority on the battlefield. Every operation and every major decision needs to be orchestrated by a high ranking commander. When lines of communication break down, these commanders need to come to the front lines to issue their orders and receive timely updates. When the commanders are that close to the front line, they become easier prey for the defenders of Ukraine.
These aren't the first generals to be fired by Vladimir Putin.
- In March, eight Generals were fired.
- In May, four Generals and a Vice Admiral were fired.
- In June, five Generals were fired.
I'm sure there are others that haven't been reported or that I'm forgetting about. The Kremlin appears to be more capable of eliminating experienced commanders than even the Ukrainian armed forces.
While Putin does still have combat-experienced commanders who served in the Syrian Civil War, Georgia, Chechnya, and even Afghanistan; their numbers are thinning and it will catch up with the Russian ground forces eventually. The worst case scenario for Russia (and the best case scenario for Ukraine) is that these combat-experienced commanders finally run out just before the start of winter.
