Gerasimov, the head of the General Staff , was appointed commander of a group of troops in the SMO zone

 He was in office for three months. Also among Gerasimov's deputies are Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces Oleg Salyukov and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Colonel-General Alexei Kim.

"The increase in the level of leadership of the special operation is associated with the expansion of the scale of the tasks solved during its implementation", - explained in the department. 

Surovikin was appointed commander of the Russian forces in the area of the SMO on October 8, 2022. Western analysts noted the effectiveness of Surovikin's tactics during the special operation. They pointed out that the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine became more tactically coordinated after the general was appointed commander of the special operation.