Last October 2022, Moscow He chose what is known as “General Apocalypse”, Sergei Surovikin, to lead the Russian offensive in Ukraine. His order was short lived, three months later, Valery Gerasimov it happened the visible face of Moscow on the frontSurovikin will play an important role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. air force chief. new visible leader The offensive on the ground chosen by the Minister of Defense Sergei ShoiguHe is a familiar face in the Russian Army as he has been the Chief of Staff for 10 years.
As the SBU, the Ukrainian security services, pointed out, Gerasimov himself would already be part of the conflicts on its territory, especially in Ukraine. the battle of Ilovaisk, About 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in 2014. Moscow neither confirmed nor denied this information. In this bloody war, Pro-Russian militias in Donbasagainst Moscow allies Ukrainian regular army. Throughout the war between the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and Kyiv that began in 2014, Moscow indirectly assisted the rebels in eastern Ukraine, even though they were practically responding to its orders.
This military veteran wears in the Army most of his lifeSince he began serving in the Army of the Soviet Union in the late 70s. This long career related to GerasimovBorn in 1955, IV in 2015 and 2017 respectively. and III. The Order of St. George of the Rank led to his award on different occasions with the I degree of Merit to the Fatherland in 2021 and the Order of Alexander Nevsky in 2020. , among other distinctions. However, the most outstanding appreciation was the title “”.russia hero”, was given to him by secret decree. According to Russian media like ‘Kommersant’, Participation in the organization of Russian support in the Syrian war. In this conflict, Moscow has come to support Syrian autocrat Bashar Assad, whose troops are facing both pro-democracy rebels and rebel militias and Islamic State jihadists.
“The Gerasimov doctrine”
In 2013, the military published an article called shortly after. Gerasimov’s doctrine. In it he spoke about hybrid warfareThis implies that in war not only military methods are used to attack the enemy, but also other methods such as disinformation, hacking, riots or war itself. Russia has been carried out in Ukraine itself for many years. In the same text, “The 21st century, border between peace and war. War is no longer declared and a hitherto unknown pattern is beginning to appear.” These words came to define The Kremlin’s Perspective on the Arab Spring 2010-2012 is a period when Moscow pointed to the West as a black hand destabilizing countries in the Middle East.
However, even the creator of the phrase, British university professor Mark Galeotti, specializing in Russian security and politics, dismissed its use, denies the existence of a ‘Gerasimov doctrine’ as such. He himself stated how the term was used from Moscow only to criticize him, and admits he created it as a “hook headline”. He eventually created a military term, although he warned in the same text that it was not a military doctrine. used repeatedly among western voices.
During most of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, Gerasimov even mention of a possible dismissal had faded into the background. Despite having ample financial resources, as Russian President Vladimir Putin assured him in December 2022, he is now in a difficult position to lead the offensive for the Russian Army against Kiev, which has become entrenched. assuring that you needthere will be no restrictions in financing Army. They will have everything the Armed Forces want.” Also, although a new mobilization has been said in Russia since the end of 2022, for the time being Moscow He denied this information.