Gen. Valery Gerasimov will take over from Sergei Surovikin, the country’s defense ministry said on Telegram Wednesday, a change that comes as Kyiv warns is planning a major new offensive after months of battlefield setbacks for Moscow.Surovikin became the first person to be handed sole charge of the campaign in October, and his tenure has been marked by the aerial bombardment of Ukraine's civilian infrastructure as well as Russia's retreat from the crucial southern city of Kherson.It added that the “increase in the level of leadership” was “related to the amplified range of tasks,” and the necessity of closer cooperation between branches of Russia's armed forces.Taking the town would likely be seen as a significant, if costly, victory for the Kremlin, which has suffered embarrassing defeats on the battlefield and signs of disquiet at home as the war approaches the one-year mark.However, Michael Kofman, the director of Russia Studies at the CAN non-profit research organization in Arlington, Virginia, said on Twitter, that he did not think the outcome at Bakhmut was “that significant compared to what it costs Russia to achieve it.” He added that those costs could impinge on Russian military strategy."