Free Republic

The late-night announcement of a planned replacement of Ukraine's defence minister has raised eyebrows in wartime Kyiv as the country gears up for an anticipated Russian offensive in the east. On Sunday night, a senior lawmaker close to President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov would be replaced by the head of the military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, in the highest-profile government shuffle since the start of the Russian invasion last February. The surprise announcement followed a series of corruption scandals in the government but David Arakhamia, chief of the parliamentary bloc of Zelensky's party, did not accuse Reznikov...

... Assessment The fight for Lysychansk is unfolding much more rapidly in Russia’s favor than did the exceedingly slow grind at Severodonetsk. Another slow-grind siege will play heavily into Russia’s hands. The UGS needs to find a way to regain some mobility and initiative and reopen supply lines or pull out troops, collapse the salient and withdraw to a more defensible perimeter. Hopes that the arrival of new weapons will turn the tide are misplaced. The arrival of such arms might allow for a counteroffensive from a stronger line of defense rather than simply leading to another defeat and loss...