• Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a restructuring of logistics and other units under a unified command to strengthen the military campaign against Ukraine.
• The Russian armed forces have been restructured based on the experience gained and operational requirements of the war in Ukraine, with an increase in size by 25,000 to 2.426 million soldiers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced a restructuring of logistics and other units under a unified command to strengthen the military campaign against Ukraine.

At a meeting with senior military leaders, Putin appointed Valery Solodchuk to head the reorganized rear support services. In future, all rear-area support services should be placed "under one command," Putin said, according to the Kremlin.

The president also said Russia was restructuring its armed forces based on the experience gained and the operational requirements of the war in Ukraine.

Putin recently increased the size of the Russian armed forces by 25,000 to 2.426 million, including 1.535 million active soldiers.

Ukrainian drone attacks have targeted oil refineries and logistics hubs deep inside Russia, significantly disrupting supplies to the front. The situation has become particularly difficult on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Solodchuk previously commanded the Central Military District, which had a key role in the invasion of eastern Ukraine. He will be succeeded by Andrey Ivanayev.

Putin praised the Vostok (East) group, saying the troops were advancing energetically and "at a pace that deserves the highest recognition."

During the meeting, Putin also handed command of Russia's relatively new drone forces to Denis Lyamin.

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine was launched in February 2022.