Russia's leading war hawks rallied behind the humiliating decision for Moscow's forces to retreat from the Ukrainian city of Kherson this month, but the commander who argued in favor of the move is now under growing pressure to prove it was worth it.
Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed "General Armageddon" by the Russian media for his reputed ruthlessness, on Nov. 9 recommended Moscow's forces quit Kherson and the west bank of the River Dnipro, where they were dangerously exposed.
Surovikin, a 56-year-old veteran of wars in Chechnya and Syria who has been decorated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, argued the withdrawal, completed two days later, would allow Moscow to save equipment and redeploy forces there — estimated by the United States at 30,000-strong — to offensives elsewhere.