Russian General Removed From Post as 'Mariupol Butcher' Takes Over

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov has been removed from his role and transferred to "another post," according to Russia's defense ministry.

Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, nicknamed the "butcher of Mariupol" by Kyiv officials for his role in seizing the Ukrainian city in May, has been appointed in his place.

It comes amidst a shake-up of Russian command after a Ukrainian counteroffensive pushed Russian troops out of almost all of the northern Kharkiv province earlier this month. Ukrainian President Zelensky claimed the counter has so far seized more than 2,300 square miles of land.

The announcement was made by the Russian Defense Ministry in a statement, which was shared on social media platform Telegram.

It said: "Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev has been appointed to the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, responsible for the logistics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

The post did not say what role Bulgakov has been moved to.

On September 12 Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Service reported that Putin had sacked Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov as Russian commander in the Donbass, following Kyiv's successful offensive. He had only been in post for 16 days before being removed, with Colonel General Alexander Lapin taking over his job.

On August 26 a British Defense Intelligence briefing said it was "highly likely" that Putin and his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had "fired at least six generals for not advancing quickly enough."

In May the U.K. Ministry of Defense reported Putin had fired Lieutenant General Serhiy Kisel as commander of 1st Guards Tank Army and Vice Admiral Igor Osipov as head of the Black Sea Fleet, after Russia's advance became stalled.

Mizintsev had previously headed the National Defense Management Center, which is responsible for overseeing the Russian armed forces.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine he commanded Russian forces during the siege of Mariupol, which lasted nearly three months from February to May 2022.

Much of the city was destroyed in the fighting, which saw Ukrainian troops in the Black Sea port gradually pushed back to the Azovstal steel works, where they made their final stand.

In one incident Ukrainian authorities said an estimated 300 civilians were killed after a theatre, which was being used as a shelter, was bombed by Russian forces.

Vadym Boychenko, Mariupol's mayor, claimed 20,000 civilians were killed in his city during the siege, though this has not been independently verified.

At the end of March Mizintsev was sanctioned by the U.K. due to his role in the battles.

Mizintsev previously served in Syria as part of Putin's effort to support Bashar al-Assad. He was allegedly involved in organizing airstrikes on the rebel held city of Aleppo, which was largely destroyed before being recaptured in 2016.

President Putin ordered a partial Russian mobilization on Wednesday, which Shoigu said would apply to 300,000 men with previous military experience.

In a possible allusion to nuclear weapons Putin said Russia would use "all defense methods at our disposal" if "its territorial integrity is threatened."

The move sparked protests in a number of major Russian cities, including Moscow and St Petersburg. According to human rights group OVD-Info at least 1,300 were arrested by security forces in the subsequent crackdown.

Those arrested could face up to 15 years in jail, and there are reports some protesters were later forcibly enlisted into the Russian army.

Newsweek has contact Russia's defense ministry for comment.