Vladimir Putin has appointed a well-known military blogger, the commander of a local battalion of pro-Russian forces, as head of the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) in the occupied Donetsk region, which caused envy among the Russian military blogging community, ISW notes in its latest issue. assessment of the war in Ukraine.

Several Russian military bloggers reported on Thursday that Putin signed a decree appointing the former security minister of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Oleksandr Khodakovsky, who currently commands the Vostok battalion, to the post of deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. of the Roshvardiya in the occupied Donetsk region, thus entrusting him with the leadership of a special squad of rapid response and fighting riot police in the region.

On Thursday, Khodakovsky confirmed that he had received the appointment in early February 2023, and published a recruitment announcement for the OMON and SOBR units of the Russian Guard, which now report to him.

Khodorkovsky often publicly praises Putin and is a pro-Russian Ukrainian separatist loyal to him since March 2014. Khodorkovsky was the commander of the Ukrainian Special Forces of the Alpha group in the Donetsk region of the State Security Service of Ukraine before joining it. Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine in 2014.

This is evidenced by the new appointment decided by Putin

Khodakovsky’s appointment has analytical implications for several recent ISW assessments, according to the Washington think tank.

The appointment of Khodakovsky shows Russia’s efforts to form more forces in the occupied Donetsk region.

On March 27, Putin promulgated a law abolishing the upper age limit and other obstacles to enlisting in the Russian Guard in occupied Ukraine. Khodakovsky, a native of the city of Donetsk, is close to pro-Russian fighters in the DPR, veterans and pro-Russian patriotic groups in Donbas, and can facilitate recruitment.

The appointment also implements the Kremlin’s attempt to formalize the role of irregular pro-Russian forces inherited from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and subordinate them to Kremlin-controlled structures.

It is possible that Putin will use the appointment of Khodakovsky to ensure reliable control over the new elements of the Russian Guard in the Donetsk region.

ISW estimated that Russian authorities could launch a large-scale investigation into corruption in the Russian Guard, possibly to remove actors deemed untrustworthy by Putin.

The appointment could also help Putin divide and conquer influential communities that the Kremlin does not fully control.

Oleksandr Khodakovskyi (PHOTO: Valery Sharifulin / TASS / Profimedia)

Russian military bloggers accuse Khodakovsky of incompetence

The mixed reaction to Khodakovsky’s appointment by various Russian military bloggers – especially among Russian veterans – indicates a significant split in the community of Russian nationalist veterans.

Previously, ISW assessed the blogosphere community of veterans of Russian nationalism as more or less united. Khodakovsky’s appointment also shows that Putin continues to prioritize loyalty over competence in his subordinates.

A Russian military blogger criticized Khodakovsky’s appointment and said his incompetence as commander of the Vostok battalion in 2014 led to a particularly serious incident in which Khodakovsky’s troops destroyed a squad of Russian volunteers with “friendly fire,” killing 42 people.

Former Russian officer Igor Girkin, convicted in the Netherlands of war crimes, called Khodakovsky a fraud and a “corrupt traitor” and warned that the Kremlin’s “failed personnel policy” of promoting “traitors, scum and mediocrity” would lead to Russia’s collapse.

The Kremlin prefers loyal commanders, not necessarily competent ones

Previously, Putin appointed loyal people to the detriment of competent people.

Putin replaced Army General Sergei Surovikin, who was seen as competent and who actually led the politically unpopular but militarily necessary withdrawal from Upper Kherson in the fall of 2022, with the head of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, who is seen as loyal to Putin.

It was Gerasimov who approved the disastrous campaign plan for the initial full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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