Putin, left back to camera, newly appointed Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, centre, and former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, foreground right, attending a meeting with commanders of military districts at the Kremlin in Moscow. — AP
PERIODIC outcries over incompetence and corruption at the top of the Russian military have dogged President Vladimir Putin’s war effort since the start of his invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
When his forces faltered around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the need for change was laid bare.
