A senior Russian military commander in Ukraine who was sacked in January will likely return to the battlefield amid tense infighting inside the Russian general staff, according to the latest assessment from British military intelligence.
General Mikhail Teplinsky, commander of Russia’s corps of airborne troops, the VDV, was dismissed from the theater in January 2023. One of Russia’s key operational commanders in Ukraine, he was in charge of the relatively successful withdrawal from west of the Dnipro River in November 2022. He had been praised as a “capable and pragmatic commander,” British intelligence said after his firing.
“Teplinsky is likely one of the few senior Russian generals widely respected by the rank-and-file,” British officials said this weekend. “His recent turbulent career suggests intense tensions between factions within the Russian general staff about Russia’s military approach in Ukraine.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has cycled through several commanders for his troubled nearly 15-month campaign in Ukraine, after the Kremlin’s hopes for a quick victory were dashed and the operation devolved into a grinding war of attrition with relatively small gains for invading Russian forces. Prominent voices inside Russia, including a corps of private war bloggers and the head of the private mercenary Wagner Group force have been highly critical of the Defense Ministry’s prosecution of the war.
Earlier this month, Mr. Putin cashiered another top Ukraine commander, Eastern Group of Forces’ Gen. Rustam Muradov, after he ordered the costly and unsuccessful assault on the mining town of Vuhledar in eastern Ukraine.
Military analysts said the debate over the missions given to VDV troops in Ukraine may have contributed to Gen. Teplinsky’s dismissal in January. His lightly-armed airborne troops were often employed in ground-holding roles traditionally given to more heavily-armed mechanized forces.
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“It is unlikely Teplinsy’s remit will be limited to VDV units, but he is highly likely to promote the corps’ traditional role as an elite force,” British intelligence officials said.
Russian airborne troops have played key roles in the ongoing battle for Bakhmut, including employing the flamethrower-like TOS-1A thermobaric rocket launchers in the Kremina sector, UK officials said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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