1/ Is General Sergey Surovikin, Putin's newly-appointed commander of his 'Special Military Operation', being set up as a scapegoat for the failures of the Russia forces in Ukraine? A commentary by the Donbas separatist Alexander Khodakovsky suggests so. A 🧵 and translation: 
2/ Khodakovsky says that Surovikin's appointment will bring two advantages: he will have quicker access to 'the first person' (i.e. Putin) and "the opportunity to make his position known directly, bypassing the upper echelon of the military hierarchy," who he blames for failures.
3/ But, he says, "a responsible person has been appointed on whom all the sins [of the operation] will be pinned. I am sure that this appointment does not make Surovikin happy at the moment."
4/ Khodakovsky suggests that there is a power struggle going on within the Russian Ministry of Defence, in which two figures – Surovikin and General Alexsandr Lapin – are vying to take over the position of Chief of the General Staff, currently held by General Valery Gerasimov.
5/ He writes that Lapin and Surovikin "both represent different centers of power, there is no better way to bring down Surovikin than to appoint him responsible for the course of the operation", particularly when the war is going badly and the Ukrainians have the upper hand.
6/ The war has prompted "everyone, including the army chiefs of different ranks" to seek to reinforce their positions and ranks, which they want to hold on to despite the current difficulties.
7/ Lapin and Surovikin and their respective centres of power "both love the Motherland in their own way and wish the best for it, but the means and methods [by which they want to pursue the war] are different."
8/ "What is happening now in the upper echelons, when two powers come into competition, is a very important process, the outcome of which will determine the outcome of this global confrontation.
9/ "No one is saying that the old guard should be rounded up and given a handshake, wishing them a productive retirement, but a new type of anti-crisis thinking is needed. This applies to all sectors, including the economy. Next year will be difficult – we need to be prepared."
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