- Major shakeups are underway in the Russian command structure in Ukraine, according to a report from the Institute for the Study of War
- Experts found that top officials may be blamed for not fully capturing Ukraine and the Kremlin may replace those officers with new faces
- Russia has suffered significant losses since the invasion of Ukraine began almost four months ago, including a dozen high ranking generals
The Kremlin recently replaced the commander of the Russian Airborne forces and could be in the process of a major shakeup of their current command structure in Ukraine, according to a new report from the Institute for the Study of War.
The analysis found that many top officials could be blamed for the failure to fully capture Ukraine, prompting the Kremlin to replace those officers with new faces.
Current Chief of Staff of the Central Military District, Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinsky, will replace the current Commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, Colonel-General Andrey Serdyukov, according to the report.
Ukrainian sources reported that Serdyukov was previously fired from his post by the Kremlin for "poor performance" and "high casualties," according to ISW's report.
"Such drastic rotations within the Russian military, if true, are not actions taken by a force on the verge of a major success and indicate ongoing dysfunction in the Kremlin's conduct of the war," the report states.
The ISW also listed other rumors of high-level Russian military leaders being purged from the ranks, including the overall commander of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Army General Alexander Dvornikov, though the allegations couldn't be independently confirmed.
A report from Christo Grozev, the lead Russia journalist for investigative outlet Bellingcat, claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin planned to replace Dvornikov after hearng reports of his "excessive drinking" and a lack of trust in him by Russian forces.
Russia has failed to capture Ukraine since its unprovoked invasion began on February 24. After making no progress toward capturing the capital city Kyiv, Russian forces have turned their attention to the eastern part of the country, where a grinding war is now being waged.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.