President Vladimir Putin appointed his aide and former bodyguard Alexei Dyumin to oversee Russias military response to the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region, a federal lawmaker said Tuesday, an apparent confirmation of rumors circulated earlier by Russian military bloggers.Indeed, Alexei Gennadyevich Dyumin was summoned yesterday and tasked with supervising the counterterrorist operation, State Duma lawmaker Nikolai Ivanov, whose district is in the Kursk region, told the RTVI broadcaster.Dyumin was the only non-cabinet member not connected with the military or security services who was present at a televised meeting with Putin on Monday.
During that meeting, which was focused on the fighting in the Kursk region,the Kremlin leader ordered the military to dislodge Ukraines forces from Russian territory.Later, an anonymous Telegram channel claiming insider knowledgeclaimed that Putin directed Dyumin to coordinate all agencies currently operating in the Kursk region.Moscow launched counterterrorism operations in the border regions of Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod on Friday, granting the military sweeping emergency powers.The pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Politsatirka noted that Dyumins military experience, especially since the annexation of Crimea, could be crucial in coordinating defense efforts.Rybar, a prominent pro-war channel run by a former Defense Ministry spokesman, interpreted Dyumins alleged appointment as a sign of Putins dissatisfaction with military and security leaders.Alexei Dyumins appointment as a senior official with comprehensive powers to address the operational crisis in the Kursk region indicates that the security forces were unable to resolve coordination issues independently, without Moscow's intervention, Rybar wrote Tuesday.Dyumins role is to take full control of the situation, ending superficial efforts and beginning to address the crisis directly,Rybar added.The independent investigative outlet Agentstvo reported Tuesday that several military bloggers have since revised or deleted posts about Dyumins alleged appointment.It was not possible to verify claims about the alleged appointment, and there was no immediate comment from the Kremlin.