Russia's command shake-up and a contested Soledar

What did the Russian command change on 11 January 2023 signal, and how did it sit alongside the claims from the battlefield? The reported facts allow a measured reading of both.

On that date, Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, was appointed commander of the Joint Group of Forces taking part in the war with Ukraine. Generals Oleg Salyukov, Alexei Kim and Sergei Surovikin, who had previously held that position, became his deputies. The appointment put the head of the General Staff directly in charge of the group, with the earlier holders of the post moved beneath him.

A dispute over Soledar

The day before, on 10 January 2023, the fighting around Soledar in Donetsk Oblast produced competing accounts. The UK Defence Ministry said Russian forces controlled most of the settlement. Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed the city had been taken in its entirety. The gap between a cautious assessment and a maximal claim marked the battle for Soledar at that point.

Kyiv acts against a pro-Kremlin politician

Also on 10 January 2023, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy stripped pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk and three other people of their citizenship, accusing them of high treason. The step belonged to Ukraine's response to the invasion on the political and legal front, alongside the fighting.

Cracks in Moscow's regional ties

There was a further development away from the front. On 10 January 2023, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that joint military exercises with the Russian Armed Forces under the Collective Security Treaty Organization would be postponed that year. He cited the organization's refusal to condemn Azerbaijan over the disputes between the two countries. The announcement showed strain in Russia's relations with Armenia within the security bloc.

What the days together show

Taken together, these reports from 10 and 11 January 2023 describe a Russian side adjusting its military leadership while rival claims surrounded one of its battlefield efforts. Ukraine pursued legal measures against a figure it accused of treason, and a CSTO member publicly put off drills with Russia. Each item stands on its own reporting, and no stated link ties the Armenian decision or the Ukrainian citizenship decree to the command change in Moscow.

The Soledar dispute also illustrates how contested early claims can be. The Russian command change, for its part, was a matter of record on 11 January 2023: a new commander for the joint group, and three generals moved into deputy roles.