Top Russian Commander in Ukraine Appears in MoD Video amid Sacking Rumors

Top Russian Commander in Ukraine, General Valery Gerasimov appeared in a ministry of defense video today amid rumors that he had been sacked following last fortnight’s failed mutiny by the Wagner private military company.

Gerasimov, appointed as Russia’s top commander by President Vladimir Putin in January, was shown in a Defense Ministry video listening to reports and instructing subordinates on Russia’s response to increased Ukrainian missile attacks on Russian territory and annexed Crimea. Earlier, Russian bloggers claimed Gerasimov had been fired amid the fallout of Wagner’s June 24 mutiny.

He said he was “tasking the Aerospace Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) to continue systematic work on identifying the storage and launch sites of missiles and the enemy’s other weapons in order to plan preemptive attacks.”

Gerasimov’s predecessor General Sergei Surovikin has been accused in local media reports as having known about Wagner’s mutiny plans. He hasn’t been seen in public since Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin agreed with the Kremlin to end his rebellion in exchange for dropped mutiny charges.