Putin Overhauls Russian Command for Logistics as Ukraine Attacks Rear Areas

President Vladimir Putin reshuffled senior Russian military leadership, elevating Valery Solodchuk to deputy defense minister for logistics and naming Denis Lyamin to lead the Unmanned Systems Forces, while Alexander Sanchik shifts to Southern Military District procurement duties and Alexey Krivoruchko takes on military-technical development oversight. The changes, framed as internal leadership reassignments, come amid Ukrainian long-range strikes targeting rear areas and logistics. Separately, North Korea reportedly deployed missile units and hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia, potentially expanding Moscow’s strike capabilities. A drone incident disrupted operations at Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany, and Ukraine continued long-range strikes on Wildberries warehouses and oil facilities in Russia. ISW notes limited battlefield gains from the reshuffle in the near term, with senior commanders circulated rather than replaced and Russian efforts increasingly focused on ballistic missiles and rear-area resilience.