German Armed Forces chief to be dismissed He doubted Ukraine's ability to resist Russia

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has decided to replace the head of the Armed Forces after his recent controversial comments about the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine.

Major-General Carsten Breuer will replace General Eberhard Zorn as Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, the BBC Russian Service reports, citing sources in the German Defence Ministry.

The 63-year-old Zorn has held this position since 2018. In September last year, he questioned the ability of the Ukrainian military to fully resist the Russian troops.

In an interview with Focus magazine, he said that Ukraine is conducting "counterattacks, with the help of which it is possible to retake places or individual sections of the front, but not to push Russia back on a broad front".

He also expressed fears that Russia could open a second front of the war, naming Kaliningrad, the Baltic Sea, and the border with Finland, Georgia and Moldova as possible destinations.

According to media reports, Zorn will be prematurely dismissed on March 16.

The 59-year-old Breuer, who will succeed him in office, headed the government's response team to the coronavirus pandemic from November 2021 to May 2022, AFP reminds.

Boris Pistorius took over the Defence Ministry in January.