...By Jack Sylva for TDPel Media.
According to Western officials, General Rustam Muradov, who led Russia’s Eastern Group of Forces (EGF) for almost a year, has been dismissed from his post.
Muradov was a close ally of Russia’s military chief Valery Gerasimov and had led a frontal assault in broad daylight on the mining town of Vuhledar in the eastern Donetsk region.
The attack ended in disaster and survivors claim one marine brigade of 5,000 men was almost wiped out, and at least 130 armoured vehicles, including 36 tanks, were destroyed.
Muradov was also involved in the planning of a similarly doomed attack on the village of Pavlivka, in which hundreds more of Putin’s troops were gunned down.
The MoD has described Muradov’s departure as the most senior military dismissal of 2023 so far, and warned that more dismissals are likely as Moscow fails to achieve its objectives in eastern Ukraine.
The dismissal will be welcomed by Russian military commentators, bloggers, and media personalities who had called for public show trials to punish the commanders and generals behind the losses.
Impact of Muradov’s Dismissal
Muradov’s dismissal shows the high level of failure and concern that the Russian leadership has about the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Western officials are also warning that more high-profile dismissals are expected if Moscow fails to achieve its objectives in eastern Ukraine.
The removal of top Russian commanders from their posts is not uncommon. In January, the current head of Russia’s army, Valery Gerasimov, replaced “General Armageddon” Sergei Surovikin, just three months after Surovikin ascended to the position.
The Vuhledar massacre is not the first time that smart strategies have failed miserably. However, in the midst of these situations, the safety of people must always come first.
aIt is crucial that safety measures are implemented to avoid similar disasters in the future.
