
Vladimir Putin listens to Valery Gerasimov during a meeting in Moscow on December 21
(Picture: SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)Vladimir Putin’s appointment of army chief Valery Gerasimov as the new commander of his invasion of Ukraine is a “sign of desperation”, a former British Army chief said on Thursday.
The Russian President ordered a reshuffle of his top military command on Wednesday, demoting General Sergei Surovikin, who was appointed only in October to lead the invasion and oversaw heavy attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.