Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a deep and wide-ranging reorganization of the Russian military's top brass on Tuesday. The changes include the appointment of new operational commanders on the Ukrainian front, the unification of logistics and the creation of a special force dedicated to drone warfare, Russian media reported, citing an official Kremlin statement.

During a meeting held in Moscow, Putin justified this wave of movements as a necessity to adapt the structure of the Ministry of Defense to the pace and experience gained on the ground during the conflict in Ukraine.

Drone Forces: Lieutenant General Denis Lyamin has been appointed head of Russia's Unmanned Systems Forces, a newly created structure to prioritize unmanned aerial technology on the battlefield.

Eastern and Southern Fronts: The leadership of the forces on the ground has been reformatted. Lieutenant General Andrei Ivanaev takes over as commander of Forces Group “Center”, while Lieutenant General Petro Bolgarev is appointed commander of Forces Group “East”. Putin described the objective of Group “Center” – the complete capture of the Donetsk region – as “key and very difficult”, while praising the progress of the eastern forces in southern Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.

Logistics and the new Deputy Minister: Former commander of the “Center” group, Lieutenant General Valery Solodchuk, has been promoted to deputy minister of defense. He will be responsible for rear support, logistics services, and the unification of transport and supply systems.

This latest appointment is expected to spark strong controversy, as Solodchuk appears on the list of war criminals published by the Ukrainian military intelligence service (HUR), which accuses him of crimes committed by troops under his command during the initial attack on Kiev in 2022.

This major military reorganization follows the initiative of Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov to undertake the largest administrative reform of the Russian military in more than a decade.