Desperate Putin promotes ruthless new general to take charge of failing Ukraine invasion as Russian army faces collapse

VLADIMIR Putin has promoted a ruthless new general to take charge of his disastrous and botched invasion.

The tyrant has given General Sergey Surovikin total command of Russian forces who are desperately trying to regroup in Ukraine.

Putin's defence ministry confirmed the new appointment just hours after Vlad's prized bridge from Russia to Crimea was blown up.

It is believed the attack was carried out by Ukrainian special forces - potentially using an incredibly large truck bomb.

The explosion on the bridge is a massive blow - and further hammers home Russia's struggle in Ukraine.

Surovikin, 55, is Moscow's third senior military appointment in the space of a week.

The change follows the reported sacking of the commanders of two of Russia's five military regions this week, as its forces have suffered a series of dramatic reverses in northeastern and southern Ukraine in recent weeks.

Russia's Defence Ministry did not say who, if anyone, Surovikin was replacing.

Surovikin, who is married and has three daughters, has led Russia's Air and Space Forces since 2017. 

He previously oversaw Russia's bloody campaign in Syria when Moscow intervened in 2015 on the side of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which managed to regain control of more than 50 per cent of the country.

Surovikin led Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a brutal bombardment that destroyed much of the city of Aleppo.

He was promoted to General of the Army in 2021 - one of only a handful of Russian officers to reach such a rank - and over this summer was placed in charge of troops in southern Ukraine.

In February, he was slapped with sanctions from the EU for being "responsible for actively supporting and implementing actions and policies that undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."

Surovikin's appointment comes as Russia faces losing the war by Christmas as Vlad's army faces total collapse in a massive humiliation for the tyrant.

His forces could be pushed back to the Russian border by the end of the year if Kyiv keeps up its counter-offensive, a senior British government source has claimed.

Ben Hodges, a former US military chief in charge of American forces in Europe, said Russian lines were collapsing fast.

Russian lines are said to be dramatically collapsing in eastern Ukraine as President Zelensky's men continue their lightning counter-offensive in the region.

Ukrainian fighters have recaptured swatches of territory in the north-east Kharkiv region and are narrowing in on Kherson - which, if captured - would be a monumental and embarrassing defeat for the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, British intelligence said Russian tanks now make up a large chunk of Ukraine's armour.

The Ministry of Defence said Kyiv had captured and repurposed at least 440 Russian battle tanks and 650 armoured vehicles.