"He’s a Violent Thug”: Expert Explains Why Putin Appointed Surovikin as a New Commander of Russian Forces in Ukraine 

Newly appointed commander of Russian military group in Ukraine Gen. Sergey Surovikin is one of the few Russian generals willing to take any losses on the way to his goal without thinking about consequences, as Igor Yakovenko, Russian politician and journalist opposed to the government, said in his interview for OBOZREVATEL.

According to the expert, back in 1991 Surovikin, who then held the rank of Capitan and was in command of the Guards Taman Division’s battalion, drove his armored vehicle into a crowd of peaceful protesters in Moscow without any hesitation. Later, after spending five months in jail, he was released and managed to avoid further prosecution. 

"He’s willing to take any losses and never thinks about consequences. He is a kind of person that would stop at nothing. If he is ordered to annihilate the entire world, he will dos o without any questions. Gen. Surovikin is Putin’s attempt to overcome the controversy between him and his military. Probably, this is only officer in the Russian army, whom Putin unconditionally trusts the most", Yakovenko noted.

According to him, now in Russia there is some kind of conflict among Putin, the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff. In particular, the politicians are accusing the military leadership of hastily and messy withdrawal from some regions of Ukraine during the AFU’s counteroffensive, as well as of critical mistakes during mobilization campaign announced by Putin.     

"He pitted to his minions – Kadyrov and Prigozhin – against the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff represented by Shoygu and Gen. Gerasimov. He attempts to shift the blame for failed military campaign on Russian generals and Shoygu. Of course, the military leadership doesn’t like it. His response is appointment of Gen. Surovikin. He’s a violent thug willing to follow any order”, Yakovenko added.

Ukrainian State Emergency Service Disclosed Official Information About Casualties and Property Damage Caused by Russian Massive Missile Strike on October 10th  

Russia launched missiles targeting critical and civilian infrastructure in 12 regions of Ukraine. 

Multiple critical and civilian infrastructural facilities were damaged in the Russian massive missile strike against Ukraine. The first responders extinguished over 30 fires caused by explosions. 

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine disclosed updated official data about property damage and human casualties caused by massive missile strike on October 10th.  

According to rescuers, 301 towns and villages in Kyiv Lviv, Sumy, Ternopil and Khmelnytskyi regions are still in blackout.

"The State Emergency Service has used 22 power plants to supply power to vital facilities, including 15 installations for healthcare establishments in Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv and Chernihiv Regions, and 7 installations for critical infrastructural. According to our energy engineers, power supply has been restored in 3,571 towns and villages in Poltava, Sumy, Ternopil, Lviv, Kyiv and Khmelnytskyi regions”, the report reads.

Over one thousand first responders and 120 emergency vehicles were employed to fight the fires caused by the explosions.

Based on preliminary data, 19 people were killed and 105 suffered injuries.

Read also:

• Russia wants to bring its plan to destroy Ukraine to the end: Podolyak - about the mass missile attack of the Russian Federation on Ukraine

• Missile attack on Kyiv: everything that is known about the Russian attack (photo, video)

• Over 80 Casualties, Mangled and Destroyed Buildings: All Information about Recent Artillery Strikes in Zaporizhzhia

• Bloody Strikes in Zaporizhzhia: Expert Explained What Russia Expects to Achieve by Shelling the City

• "We Should Get Ready": Expert Warns About Looming Threat for Kyiv and Other Cities during the Next Few Days