Putin dismissed the commander of the Dnepr group of troops: ISW told what was behind the decision

The aggressor country of the Russian Federation has dismissed Colonel General Oleh Makarevych from the post of commander of the Dnepr occupation force group operating in the Kherson sector. The invaders, and mostly pro-war bloggers, complained about the inability of this military commander to withstand Ukrainian counterattacks.

Moreover, he allegedly concealed from dictator Putin information about the real situation of the Russian Armed Forces in his area of responsibility, that is, on the left bank of the Kherson region. This is stated in a report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The analysts refer to Russian bloggers who announced Makarevich's dismissal on October 29. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet confirmed or denied this information, and ISW believes it is unlikely to do so, given its tendency to regularly conceal high-profile changes in military command.

Russian propagandists claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin himself dismissed the colonel general during his visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don on October 19. The informant also claimed that the dictator had actually demoted Mikhail Teplynsky, who commands the occupiers in Ukraine. Although, analysts emphasized, it is currently unclear whether he still holds this position.

According to the Kremlin blogger, rumors of Makarevich's dismissal surfaced last week, but his removal was "long overdue" because of his methods of managing the military situation in the Kherson sector. The propagandist added that the deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, Colonel General Alexei Kim, is actually in command of the entire combined group of Russian troops in Ukraine.

"ISW cannot independently verify these statements. But reports of Makarevych's release indicate that the Kremlin or Russian military command may be quite concerned and skeptical about his ability to repel recent larger-than-usual Ukrainian ground operations on the left bank of the Kherson region," analysts believe.

According to the aforementioned propagandist, Makarevych's ouster resulted in a small Ukrainian "bridgehead" in Krynky. Other bloggers from the Russian Federation are inclined to a similar theory, claiming that the colonel general's negligence and extreme lack of command initiative led to repeated Ukrainian landings on the left bank of the Kherson region. One Russian acknowledged that Ukrainian "bridgeheads" there set a dangerous precedent, and that Russian troops under Makarevich's command failed to adequately counter and respond to Ukrainian threats.

It is speculated that Makarevich's opponents managed to convince Putin of his inability to command in the Kherson sector amid intensified Ukrainian ground attacks. A select group of Russian bloggers had previously accused Makarevich of failing to properly command the occupiers and equip them to respond to the Ukrainian army's raids on the left bank of the Kherson region back in the summer of 2023.

Some of these propagandists especially praised Teplynskyi and criticized Makarevych after he allegedly replaced the former as commander of the airborne troops in the winter of 2023.

A blogger affiliated with the Wagner PMC claimed that Makarevich was fired after unidentified intelligence officers informed the Russian "high command"-possibly referring to Putin-that he had failed to provide accurate information about the situation in his area of responsibility. The propagandist also emphasized that the bloggers who fought for Makarevich's ouster should finally "rejoice."

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, in early October, there was information about the release in Russia of the commander of the brigade involved in the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. We are talking about officer Eduard Shandura, who has been in charge of the 205th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces since the spring of 2021, and who also took part in the parade of Russian terrorists in bombed-out Mariupol.

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