Putin's Donetsk daredevil to enter Ukraine with final push as Trump betrays Kyiv after brief hope?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reshuffled his top defense leadership amid escalating fighting in Donetsk. According to a decree issued on November 8, Putin appointed General Aleksandr Sanchik as the new Deputy Defense Minister, replacing Andrey Bulyga, who was appointed as National Security Council. Sanchik, a decorated officer, has extensive combat experience, having served in Russia’s operations in Syria, the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, and multiple anti-extremist campaigns. His “South” Joint Group of Forces is reportedly leading major operations around Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian stronghold. The move comes as Bulyga, who oversaw the ministry during a series of corruption arrests, now joins the Security Council under former Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, signaling another major shake-up in Russia’s wartime command structure.