Russian President Vladimir Putin staged a military shake-up that removed several senior officials, including Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, whose ruthless tactics in the Ukraine war earned him the nickname “Butcher of Mariupol,” according to a report in New York Post. The news of General Mizintsev’s deposition was posted on Telegram by Alexander Sladkov, a correspondent of the Russian state newspaper Izvestia. No reason has been given for the 60-year-old’s resignation as deputy defense minister, the outlet further reported.
Mizintsev orchestrated the siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the early months of the war last year. In September, he was appointed deputy defense minister, in charge of logistics and supplies.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Mizintsev last June, calling him the Butcher of Mariupol and saying he was responsible for the “inhumane” siege of the shattered Ukrainian city, which Russia is now rebuilding.
The Defense Ministry has not officially commented on the development, while the Kremlin has said it cannot comment on the subject and has referred questions about it to the Defense Ministry, Reuters reported.
Putin made a surprise visit to Mariupol in March, his first visit to territory captured from Ukraine since the invasion of Moscow began.
The Russian leader toured the city in a car. The Kremlin said he visited a rebuilt musical theater and watched the presentation of a report on reconstruction.
Russia has taken more than one-sixth of Ukraine’s territory but has suffered heavy casualties over the course of the 14-month war. It has made no significant gains since last July, while being forced into major withdrawals around the cities of Kharkiv and Kherson.
It is currently preparing for a Ukrainian counter-offensive as it attempts to take full control of the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut after months of warfare.