Putin's newly-appointed military commander sees collapse in support just 12 ... trends now

Vladimir Putin's newly-appointed military commander in Ukraine has seen a collapse in support just 12 days into the job after he brought in 'farcical' new rules ordering troops to shave.  

General Valery Gerasimov, Russia's Chief of the General Staff of the armed forces, has been criticised by those within his own ranks for being 'out of touch' by prioritising troops' appearances over combat training.

Gerasimov, who was put in charge of troops fighting in Ukraine only 12 days ago on January 11, was ridiculed for his focus on troops being clean-shaven amid heavy Russian casualties on the battlefield in Ukraine.  

Britain's defence ministry today said that since Gerasimov took command, Russian officers have been attempting to clamp down on non-regulation uniform, travel in civilian vehicles, the use of mobile phones and non-standard haircuts.

The measures have been met with 'sceptical feedback' and some of the 'greatest derision' has been reserved for Gerasimov's attempts to improve the standards of troops' shaving, Britain's MoD said in an intelligence briefing today.

Officials in the Donetsk People's Republic have described the prioritisation a 'farce' that would 'hamper the process of destroying the enemy', the MoD said. 

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the well-armed Wagner private army, criticised Gerasimov's leadership and said 'war is the time of the active and courageous, and not of the clean-shaven'.

Britain's MoD said Gerasimov's prioritisation of minor regulations over combat training amid heavy Russian casualties and operational deadlock on the battlefield, will 'likely confirm the fears of his many sceptics in Russia'.

'Along with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, he is increasingly seen as out of touch and focused on presentation over substance,' the MoD said.

Gerasimov, like Shoigu, has faced sharp criticism from Russia's hawkish military bloggers for multiple setbacks on the battlefield and Moscow's failure to secure victory in a campaign the Kremlin had expected to take just a short time.

Only last October, Russia had put Sergey Surovikin, nicknamed 'General Armageddon' for his reputed ruthlessness, in overall charge of Ukraine operations following a series of counter-offensives by Ukrainian forces that turned the tide of the conflict.

But the reshuffle has meant Surovikin will serve as Gerasimov's deputy.

The shake-up was designed to increase the effectiveness of military operations in Ukraine, it said, more than 10 months into a campaign in which tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides as well as Ukrainian civilians have been killed.

'The increase in the level of leadership of the special military operation is connected with the expansion in the scale of tasks... the need to organise closer contact between different branches of the armed forces and improve the quality... and effectiveness of the management of Russian forces,' the Russia's ministry of defence said earlier this month. 

But Gerasimov's prioritisation of minor regulations - including on whether troops are clean-shaven - over combat training has meant he has meant he has already lost support 12 days into the new role.  

Gerasimov, who was seen as the top architect of the Russian action in Ukraine as the country's top military officer in charge of strategic military planning, has also widely blamed for Moscow's military setbacks.

Wagner boss Prigozhin has accused Gerasimov of incompetence and blamed him for a string of Russian military setbacks.