General, admiral made scapegoats

Russia has sacked senior commanders for their ‘‘poor performance’’ during the invasion of Ukraine amid a toxic environment of ‘‘coverups and scapegoating’’, according to British intelligence. Lieutenant General Serhiy Kisel, who commanded the elite 1st Guards Tank Army of the western military district, has been suspended for his failure to capture Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, the Ministry of Defence in London said. Vice-Admiral Igor Osipov, who commanded Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, has also ‘‘likely’’ been suspended after the sinking of the cruiserMoskva lastmonth, officials confirmed. While General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, appears to remain in his post – he phoned his US counterpart General Mark Milley yesterday – it was unclear whether he ‘‘retains the confidence of President Putin’’, the ministry said.