The Russian ministry of defence has reportedly fired Colonel-General Rustam Muradov as commander of the Eastern Group of Forces (EGF) after Moscow’s heavy losses in eastern Ukraine.
The British defence ministry had cited claims on Russian social media in its latest intelligence update on Thursday and pointed out that it is the most high-profile dismissal in the Russian military so far this year.
The ministry said more dismissals are likely to follow as Russia continues to fail to achieve its objectives in the Donbas.
“The EGF under Muradov has suffered exceptionally heavy casualties in recent months as its poorly conceived assaults repeatedly failed to capture the Donetsk Oblast town of Vuhledar,” the ministry said.
Along with fierce fighting in Bakhmut, Vuhledar town has also witnessed some of the bloodiest sieges and a continuing fight between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers.
Commander Muradov’s operations “attracted intense public criticism from across the spectrum of Russian commentators – including Muradov’s own troops”, the ministry said.
It said Mr Muradov “took over the EGF after its disastrous attempt to assault Kyiv from the north-west during the initial full-scale invasion”.
Falling 100 miles southwest of Bakhmut, Vuhledar is critically relevant for Ukraine, according to local commanders embedded in the eastern sector town as it is at an elevated position.
If Russian forces capture Vuhledar, they will gain the territorial edge of being able to “fire control” on villages to the north, which is also a strategic battlefield area for Ukraine.
The town in the eastern sector is fortified by Ukraine’s 72nd mechanised brigade.
Russian commander Muradov, widely known to be one of Moscow’s most seasoned military commanders after his role in Russia’s military advances in Syria and Chechnya, has now been blamed for causing heavy military losses in terms of men and ammunition.
Dozens of Russian tanks were destroyed in one incident after being ordered to advance in a single file in the absence of demining equipment in Vuhledar, reported The Moscow Times.
Mr Muradov’s reported removal from the command was directly linked to failures around Vuhledar, The Moscow Times report said, citing a source.
Lieutenant General Andrei Kuzmenko is likely to replace Mr Muradov as Eastern Military District (EMD) commander, the Institute for the Study of War said last week.
In January, Vladimir Putin had authorised another shake-up in the military leadership and demoted General Sergei Surovikin, who had earned the nickname “General Armageddon” from the Russian media for his reputed ruthlessness.
The military rejig indicated pressure building on the Kremlin. General Surovikin had been named Russia’s top battlefield commander in Ukraine just last October after a spate of offensives by Kyiv’s troops that turned the tide of the war.
Moscow had then appointed Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, as overall commander of forces in Ukraine, one of a number of changes in recent months as the Russian president seeks a success story to sell at home.
