Putin fires top general behind Ukraine invasion in surprise shake-up
Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed General Oleg Salyukov from his position as Commander of the Ground Forces, according to the Mash Russian Telegram channel.
According to Russian media, Salyukov has been transferred to the position of Deputy Secretary of Russia’s Security Council under Sergey Shoigu. It has not yet been announced who will replace Salyukov as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces.
Salyukov had served in this role since 2014 and was notably in charge of the Victory Day parades in Moscow on May 9 from 2014 to 2025. On May 21, he will turn 70, and under Russian law, he must retire from military service.
Since January 11, 2023, he has also served as Deputy Commander of the Russian forces conducting the full-scale military aggression against Ukraine.
Media reports also suggest that Salyukov’s family profits from military holidays. In particular, his daughter-in-law, Dina Salyukova, runs the HQ Agency creative agency that organizes military and patriotic events. Among its key clients are the Ministry of Defense, MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of International Relations), the Tula regional government, the Moscow city administration, and the state-run Automobile Roads company.
Earlier, we reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly stated that he had always thought about a successor. He suggested that there could be competition among several candidates.
