Major General Roman Berdnikov was appointed to the post of commander of the Russian military’s Western Military District on August 26, replacing Lieutenant General Sychecvy. However, it lasted just over two weeks before being removed, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency of the Department of Defense. The Ukrainian attributed the change in leadership to “crushing defeats” by his troops in the Kharkiv region. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the group of Russian troops will now be headed by Lt. Gen. Oleksander Lapin. Russia has yet to confirm any of these changes. In June, Lt. Berdnikov was rumored to have been killed in an attack by Kiev forces. He was previously the commander of the Russian armed forces’ task force in Syria and moved to lead troops in the People’s Republic of Donbass. Kiev’s counteroffensive made significant gains over the weekend, recapturing Russian-held areas in the region. Russian troops were forced to retreat to avoid being surrounded by Ukrainian armed forces. Ukraine has reportedly liberated 1,160 square miles since early September and was within 30 miles of the Russian border. Since Ukraine successfully captured parts of the Kharkiv region, parts of the country have been hit by attacks from Russia, leaving areas with power outages and no water supply. “Without military installations, the goal is to deprive people of light and heat,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted late Sunday. US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink also denounced the strikes on Twitter: “Russia’s apparent response to Ukraine’s liberation of towns and villages in the east: sending missiles to try to destroy vital civilian infrastructure.” Moscow denies that its forces are deliberately targeting civilians.
