Russia’s top military commander was shown on state television Monday for the first time since the abortive mutiny by Wagner mercenaries aimed at ousting him.
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who’s in charge of Russia’s war operations in Ukraine, was shown in a brief video receiving battlefield reports from officials. He ordered steps to identify launch sites of Ukrainian missiles and to improve protection against air strikes, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on its Telegram channel that apparently sought to dispel recent speculation in some media that Gerasimov had been dismissed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Gerasimov as overall commander of Russia’s invasion force in January in place of Gen. Sergei Surovikin, who hasn’t been seen in public since the Wagner rebellion ended on June 24. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin had sought to overthrow Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, blaming them for multiple failures during the war and accusing them of seeking to destroy his mercenary group.