Ministry of Defence says dismissals are in part ‘likely an attempt to insulate and deflect blame from Russian senior leadership’ over poor performance on battlefield
A Russian colonel general has purportedly been replaced in the latest of a “series of dismissals” of senior Russian military commanders since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence says.
It said in its latest intelligence update that Maj Gen Alexander Linkov was reportedly appointed acting commander of Russia’s central military district on Thursday, replacing Col Gen Alexander Lapin.
Lapin has been widely criticised for poor performance on the battlefield in Ukraine by both Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin. These dismissals represent a pattern of blame against senior Russian military commanders for failures to achieve Russian objectives on the battlefield.
This is in part likely an attempt to insulate and deflect blame from Russian senior leadership at home.
I think that in light of all the debate about whether it was the right thing to travel there or not, the fact that the Chinese government, the president and I could state that there must not be any nuclear weapons used in this war, for that alone this trip was worth it.
Xi underscored the need for China and Germany, two major countries with great influence, to work together in times of change and instability and contribute more to global peace and development.
