Putin Removes Commander Of Russia’s Ground Forces In Another Defense Shake-Up

The longtime commander of Russia’s ground forces, Army General Oleg Salyukov, has been relieved of his command by order of President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. 

Salyukov has led the Ground Forces as ‘commander-in-chief’ since 2014, making his removal a major decision amid what appears an ongoing shake-up of military leadership.

He just literally oversaw Moscow’s Victory Day parade on May 9, and so his removal was likely a highly unexpected development.

As of yet, the Kremlin has offered no specific reason for the top commander’s removal. Russia has continued making gains on the battlefield, particularly near Pokrovsk. But the advance has become a very slow grind.

Some the latest gains this week in Donetsk are as follows:

Russian forces captured the settlement of Kotlyarivka, southwest of the embattled area of Pokrovsk, on Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.

The seizure brought Russian forces to within 3.7km (2.3 miles) of the regional border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine. Russian forces also forced their way into the village of Myrolyubivka, east of Pokrovsk, and claimed to have taken the entire settlement.

On Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces took the community of Mykhailovka, also in Donetsk.

But it could be that Putin is growing impatient, and wants even greater breakthroughs at a moment peace negotiations mediated by the US are gaining steam. This huge figure points to this:

RUSSIA DEPLOYS 640,000 TROOPS IN WAR AGAINST UKRAINE: MILITARY

Meanwhile Salyukov’s removal comes after a series of major defense ministry shake-ups which stretch well into 2023, which had also seen Sergei Shoigu removal as Defense Minister (and ‘promoted’ into a top security council role).

The commander of Russia’s Ground Forces Army General Oleg Salyukov has left his post and has been appointed deputy secretary of the security council under former defense ministry Sergei Shoigu. Salyukov had been the commander of Russia’s Ground Forces since 2014.… pic.twitter.com/KiE3CFtQEf

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) May 15, 2025

According to prior analysis:

Putin typically prioritizes loyalty over competence, which makes the command structure incapable of addressing sudden shifts in the combat environment. The recent profound shake-up of and purges in the Defense Ministry have resulted in a serious bureaucratic disorganization of this structure that is crucial for sustaining the war effort.

The lack of any changes in the General Staff weakens the ability to learn from experience and compromises the authority of the high command. Angst and anger among the fighting generals caused by the ineptness of the high command is a major source of political risk, which Putin can neither ignore nor properly address.

Indeed this analysis remains true, and it’s hard to imagine someone with more experience than Salyukov – given that he has commanded the country’s ground forces for a decade, including through well over three years of a complex Ukraine battlefield.