Putin reshuffles military commanders in charge of Ukraine conflict

The Russian Defense Ministry is being fine-tuned for the ongoing hostilities, the president has said

Published 5 Aug, 2026 10:20 |

President Vladimir Putin has announced changes among senior military commanders of the Russian armed forces, which he described as fine-tuning of the Defense Ministry for the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

The reshuffle was made public during a government meeting on Wednesday. It includes appointing a single person in charge of military logistics and arms supplies. He named Col. Gen. Valery Solodchuk, the commander of the ‘Center’ group of forces, to the position.

“Leading the logistics is a combat mission too,” Putin said, addressing the general directly. “I am confident that you will demonstrate your best qualities while organizing it.”

Col. Gen. Andrey Ivanaev, the commander of the ‘Vostok’ group, will be taking Solodchuk’s previous job. Ivanaev recommended Maj. Gen. Pyotr Bolgarev, the chief of staff of the Vostok group, as his replacement, which Putin approved.

Putin also appointed Col. Gen. Denis Lyamin as the commander of the Russian Unmanned Systems Forces, a new military arm officially created last November.

Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov attended the meeting with the president alongside the appointed commanders.

The reshuffle in Russia comes as Kiev faces growing political and military turbulence. Last month, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky ordered a 40-day “pressure campaign” involving intensified long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, retail warehouses, cargo ships and other targets, as well as sabotage operations on Russian soil.

The 40 days ended this week with mixed results. Critics have argued that Russia’s retaliatory strikes inflicted greater economic damage, including a de facto blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, than what Kiev managed to achieve through its own operations.

During the offensive, Zelensky also carried out his latest cabinet reshuffle, triggering a political crisis and mass protests in Kiev after former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov publicly opposed his dismissal and criticized Gen. Aleksandr Syrsky. Zelensky subsequently removed Syrsky as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, but declined to reinstate Fedorov.

(https://www.rt.com/russia/643876-russian-military-commanders-reshuffle/

this seems like a big deal!

Russian military drone company owner injured by car bomb

An explosive device was planted under the vehicle of Vladimir Tkachuk, whose firm manufactures UAVs widely used by Russian troops in Ukraine

Published 5 Aug, 2026 23:33 | Updated

A businessman involved in producing a kamikaze drone widely used by Russian troops in Ukraine was injured by a bomb planted under his car, while his driver was killed, Russian officials said on Wednesday.

Vladimir Tkachuk, the owner of Uraldronzavod, which manufactures the Upyr (Vampire) drone, is in stable condition after his Mercedes-Benz exploded on Tuesday evening about 25km from Ekaterinburg in Russia’s Ural region, RIA Novosti reported, citing police officials.

Ekaterinburg city councilor Timofey Zhukov told the Solovyov LIVE news show that Tkachuk had regained consciousness and that his life was no longer in danger.

An activist and military blogger, Tkachuk said in interviews that he decided to launch a drone-making startup in the fall of 2022, when it became clear that UAVs were playing an increasingly important role on the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In September 2024, he presented the Upyr and other drones to Vladimir Putin when the Russian president toured a technology exhibition in St. Petersburg.

Although the authorities did not identify any suspects, Ukraine has targeted military officials, activists, and journalists in Russia throughout the conflict. Last year, car bombs killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik and Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, both senior commanders on Russia’s General Staff.

On Saturday, a bomb exploded outside an Italian restaurant in Moscow, killing five people, including an unidentified woman believed to have delivered the explosive device. Several Telegram channels claimed that the restaurant was hosting a birthday party for Colonel General Aleksandr Chaiko, the head of Russia’s Aerospace Forces. Moscow, however, did not confirm the claim or disclose the identities of the victims.

Moscow has accused Ukraine of spreading a “terrorist plague” across Europe and compared its alleged actions to Islamist terrorism.

On June 29, a woman planted a bomb outside the home of Ukrainian businessman Vadim Ermolaev, who was injured in the blast. The suspected courier, Anastasia Berezovskaya, fled to Ukraine, where she was later found dead. Ukrainian authorities arrested Vladislav Reut, an active officer in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the HUR, and Vitaly Zhikovich, a former colonel in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in connection with the crime.

(https://www.rt.com/russia/643915-russian-drone-make-bombing/