One of the main butchers of the war in Ukraine has been appointed deputy commander of the ground forces

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Colonel General Rustam Muradov to the post of First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Defense Ministry's Ground Forces, the general's fellow countryman, the head of the Tabasarsky District of the Republic of Dagestan, Magomed Kurbanov, reported. Z-channels later began writing about the appointment, but Putin's corresponding decree has not yet appeared on the official legal information portal.

Muradov's new appointment came as a surprise to many Z-channels, since his name has become a household word during the fighting in Ukraine. "Muradovshchina" is what the Russian military calls a poorly organized offensive with dense mechanized columns without engineering reconnaissance and without artillery support.

Muradov led one such offensive against the village of Pavlovka in the Donetsk region in November 2022. Soldiers from the 155th Separate Marine Brigade later complained to Primorye Governor Oleg Kozhemyako that the general had thrown them into an “incomprehensible offensive” to receive “bonuses” and a new rank, and that more than 300 soldiers had died as a result. In February 2023, Muradov was in charge of the offensive against Vuhledar. He threw the army into minefields and under fire from Ukrainian artillery, losing two elite marine brigades and 103 vehicles, including 36 tanks (according to Oryx’s calculations), in three days. Despite the heavy losses, the Russian army was unable to capture Vuhledar.

Muradov was removed from his post as commander of the Eastern Military District because “he was a crazy idiot who was capable of ordering soldiers to go to their deaths,” a well-informed source told The
Moscow Times. Military bloggers openly accused the general of irresponsibility, tyranny and incompetence.