Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valeriy Gerasimov has been appointed head of the Joint Military Forces in charge of the "special military operation" in Ukraine. But who is Gerasimov?
In a written statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, it was stated that changes were made at the command level of the Russian army toward Ukraine.
In the statement, which included the information that Gerasimov was appointed as the head of the Joint Military Forces, it was noted that the former commander of the Joint Military Forces and Air-Space Forces Commander Sergey Surovikin will serve as Gerasimov's assistant.
Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov (born 8 September 1955) is a Russian army general serving as the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of Defence. He was appointed by president Vladimir Putin on 9 November 2012 replacing Nikolay Makarov.
In the statement, it was reported that Land Forces Commander Oleg Salyukov and Deputy Chief of General Staff Aleksey Kim were also appointed as Gerasimov's assistants.
WHO IS VALERI GERASIMOV?
Valeri Vasilyevich Gerasimov was born on September 8, 1955, in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, within the geographical boundaries of the Volga Federal District of Russia.
He was appointed as the Chief of the General Staff of Russia on November 9, 2012, by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
There is no information on the Internet about Valeri Gerasimov.
General Gerasimov commanded the second operation in Chechnya, which began in 1999.
What happened on November 9, 2012?
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the chief of staff as part of the corruption investigation. Three days ago, Putin suspended the defense minister.
It has been announced that General Valeri Gerasimov will replace the dismissed Chief of the General Staff Nikolay Makarov.
General Gerasimov commanded Russian troops during the Chechnya war.
On November 6, President Putin announced that he had dismissed Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and replaced him with his staunch ally, former emergency minister Sergey Shoigu.
Between 2010 and 2012, General Valeri Gerasimov was deputy chief of staff Nikolay Makarov, who is now dismissed.
President Putin stressed that General Gerasimov will have to fix the troubled relations between the defense ministry and the defense industry.
"We have often seen orders from the ministry of defense to change orders from manufacturers. Technology is changing rapidly, and new methods of warfare are developing. Of course, we must embrace promising new technologies, but at the same time, we need to maintain certain stability," said Putin.