Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Vadim Pristaiko, has ironized with the latest changes in the Russian military leadership and said that if this continues, it will be President Vladimir Putin himself who will have to command the troops.
«I think this may have been the last step. The next one will be Putin commanding his own troops because of the ‘successes’ he is being offered,» Pristaiko satirized in an interview for Sky News.
For Pristaiko the replacement of Sergei Surovikin by General Valeri Gerasimov is a «desperate» gesture by President Vladimir Putin, who has had to turn to his «best strategist» to command Russian forces in Ukraine.
«We understand the threat posed by the Russian Army and its hundreds of thousands of mobilized people. We are cautious, but at the same time we are optimistic. They are putting everything on the battlefield to ensure victory, but we will not allow them to succeed,» the Ukrainian ambassador assured.
For its part, the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom assessed this week that the appointment of Gerasimov is a sign of the «growing seriousness of the situation facing Russia», as well as a «clear recognition» that its campaign would not be achieving the expected strategic objectives.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
