Putin Reshuffles Military Leaders and Creates New Drone Branch

President Vladimir Putin announced a significant overhaul of senior military commanders on August 5, 2026, describing the move as a fine-tuning of the Defense Ministry to better manage the conflict in Ukraine. During a meeting with leadership in Moscow, Putin established the Unmanned Systems Forces as a new branch of the Russian military to manage drone warfare, appointing Denis Lyamin to lead the force.

As part of the reorganization, Putin consolidated all military logistics and rear services under a single command, characterizing this logistical support as combat work. Colonel General Valery Solodchuk was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense to oversee these services, a move that followed a proposal from Defense Minister Andrey Ivanovich Belousov. This shift aims to address Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian infrastructure and logistics facilities.

Putin also reshuffled operational command in the Donetsk region. Lieutenant General Andrei Ivanayev replaced Solodchuk as commander of the Center group, while Lieutenant General Pyotr Bolgarev was named interim commander of the Eastern Military District and head of the East group. These changes occur as Russian forces attempt to increase the pace of gains in the Donbas region toward the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, following a period of slow progress.