Valery Gerasimov: Last News

Vladimir Putin is 'firing and arresting' his top brass over the botched invasion of Ukraine, according to reports.

Vladimir Putin has lost his ninth general to the war in Ukraine along with 15,000 Russian troops killed over the course of the invasion, according to reports.

Russian officers are said to be in disarray after Vladimir Putin has taken direct control of the military campaign in Ukraine after he allegedly lost patience with top brass. A senior EU source has said that the Russian President has "now taken day-to-day control of the conflict," leaving Russian officers in Ukraine shocked.Putin is said to have given his officers an ambitious new goal and series of war demands that must be fulfilled before the Victory Day celebrations, scheduled for May 9.Orders insist that Russian forces must capture and occupy the city of Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Should Kryvyi Rih fall to Russian forces, it is said that Putin would be given a major boost in war propaganda, marking the invasion of Zelensky's birthplace.But Russian officers are said to have been left in dismay at the prospect of having to seize the city before Victory Day.

Ukraine.Major General Andrei Simonov, 55, has reportedly become the ninth top Russian commander to be killed in battle following an airstrike in Izyum near Kharkov, Ukrainian sources say.More than 30 Russian armoured vehicles were reportedly destroyed and unconfirmed reports say around 100 Russians troops were killed in the Ukrainian assault.

Vladimir Putin is conducting a witch-hunt inside his inner circle to root out the `guilty men’ behind his bungled Ukraine invasion. Sources claim the Russian president is `incandescent’ the US and UK discovered details of his military plans which were passed onto Ukrainians.That is seen as the reason why five leading Russian generals and a top naval officer have been killed in fighting.Mr Putin is said to have grown wary of his defence minister Sergei Shoigu - a close ally and holiday pal - who is in overall charge of the invasion.His public appearances have been curtailed in the past week while his daughter Ksenia, 31, was seen posing in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag.Putin has been dismissive in private of long-time ally Alexander Bortnikov - FSB security service head - and snapped in meetings at Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian general staff.Bortnikov has been spoken of as a stand-in leader should Putin fall in a coup.Another reported target of presidential rage is Igor Kostyukov, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed forces, who faces imminent removal.Putin has also publicly humiliated SVR foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin.