Russia army meltdown as top general goes on 'drinking binge' as Putin eyes top brass purge

Russia's top military brass is reportedly in total disarray, amid rumours of an imminent purge of senior officers and reports that the head of the army has hit the bottle. Valery Gerasimov is the current chief of Russia's General Staff and the commander of all the Kremlin's forces in Ukraine.

The general has increasingly come under fire for the poor performance of the army, which has struggled to meet any of the Kremlin's goals. In late August, the army boss tried to talk up his army's achievements, boasting of major victories across eastern and southern Ukraine in their summer offensive. He cited thousands of square kilometres of newly captured land, nearly 150 seized settlements and a near-encirclement of Kupiansk, a key town in the Kharkiv region.

However, independent assessments paint a far less rosy picture. A combination of Western analysts, Ukrainian officials and even pro-Russian military bloggers say progress has been far more modest than the General's claims.

And all have pointed out that any advances have come at a huge cost in both soldiers lives and equipment.

The Kremlin boss now appears to be running out of patience with his army supremo and is planning to carry out sweeping changes to his military. The Telegram Channel General SVR claims Putin is poised to purge the senior ranks of his army command in a major reshuffle.

"There will soon be a change in the leadership of the military bloc," they wrote. "It remains unclear whether the current Russian Minister of Defence will retain his post or be transferred to another, equally important position.

"There will be some reshuffles within the Ministry of Defence, but this will be a breeze compared to what awaits the General Staff.

"Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has already been warned that he will no longer be tolerated; his fate will be determined in the coming days. In light of this, Gerasimov has gone on a severe drinking binge, which could only worsen his situation."

The channel added the General Staff is expecting a large-scale "purge," and that 80% of the personnel will be replaced.

General SVR emerged in 2020, claiming to be run by former and current members of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, as well as other state bodies.

In a statement to Business Insider, a spokesperson declined to identify the channel's sources, citing personal security, but said they had "complete confidence" in them.

The channel once famously claimed that Vladimir Putin fell down some steps, soiling himself in the process - something that was strenuously denied by the Kremlin.