MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu made new appointments in the military command of the special military operation in Ukraine, the Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.

"Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov has been appointed as commander of the integrated group of troops (forces). His deputies are: Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces Army General Sergey Surovikin, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces Army General Oleg Salyukov, and also Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Colonel-General Alexey Kim," the ministry said.

The new appointments in the special military operation in Ukraine are related to the broader scope of tasks and the need of closer coordination between all military branches and services, it said.

"The higher level of military command in the special military operation is related to the broader scope of missions tackled in its course and the need to organize closer coordination between military branches and services of the armed forces and also the increased quality of all types of logistics support and efficiency in command and control of the groups of troops (forces)," the ministry said.

In October last year, Shoigu appointed Surovikin as commander of Russia’s integrated group of forces in the special military operation in Ukraine. Surovikin has also been commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces since 2017.