Putin has reshuffled Russia’s military command. Here’s what you need to know.
On August 5, at a meeting with Defense Ministry leadership, Vladimir Putin announced several major changes in military command all at once. “We continue to improve the structure of the Defense Ministry in light of the needs and experience of the special military operation,” the president said, explaining the changes. Here’s who received new appointments.
Unmanned Systems Forces
New commander: Colonel General Denis Lyamin, who most recently served as chief of staff of the Tsentr grouping. Lyamin took command of the 58th Army in 2023 after his predecessor, Ivan Popov, was dismissed for publicly criticizing the Defense Ministry’s leadership. Popov later received a five-year sentence in a penal colony on fraud charges.
The Unmanned Systems Forces is a new branch of the military that the Defense Ministry announced had been fully formed as of December 2025. At the meeting, though, Putin acknowledged that formation was still incomplete and said one of the new commander’s first tasks would be to “bring the formation of this new branch of the military to completion.”
Media outlets reported in December 2025 that the Unmanned Systems Forces would be headed by Yuri Vaganov, a Moscow region businessman known as “Yura Unitaz.” Pro-war bloggers sharply criticized his candidacy, and it remains unclear whether Vaganov was ever officially appointed — no decree, if one existed, was ever published.
Combined Rear Services
New commander: Colonel General Valery Solodchuk, who most recently headed the Tsentr grouping. Solodchuk has been accused of involvement in the 2022 killings of civilians in Bucha, in the Kyiv region.
Putin said the Defense Ministry’s rear services would now be “concentrated in one set of hands,” following the model of the logistics and technical support services that have been unified since November 2025 under Colonel General Alexander Sanchik. Sanchik’s own responsibilities have changed as well: he will now oversee orders for weapons, military and special equipment, and technical support for the troops.
Tsentr grouping
New commander: Colonel General Andrey Ivanayev, who most recently led the Vostok grouping.
Vostok grouping
New commander: Major General Pyotr Bolgarev, officially in an acting capacity, who most recently served as chief of staff of the Vostok grouping.
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