Military commander in Esquel removed amid claims he hosted Victoria Villarruel

Major Gonzalo Domine is due to be removed as deputy commander of an Army reconnaissance cavalry regiment in Esquel after serving about a year, even though military commanders typically remain in such posts for two years.

The change has prompted claims in military circles that Domine is being punished for receiving Vice President Victoria Villarruel during her visit to Chubut in January, when wildfires affected Los Alerces National Park. Some accounts also say he enabled Villarruel to use a military helicopter at a time when senior officials were discouraging that move.

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They are making him pay for having received the Vice President. It seems these reprisals happen as under other governments.

The visit had already exposed tensions between the presidential office and Villarruel. She toured the disaster area, including by helicopter according to military sources, while President Javier Milei referred to the work of firefighters and rescuers on social media using an AI-generated image.

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The major had nothing to do with it. The helicopter belonged to another unit.

The allegations remain disputed. One military source said Domine had nothing to do with the helicopter because it belonged to another unit. A government official told Clarín that Villarruel took off from Los Alerces National Park and returned there, rather than flying from the regiment.

Domine is expected to be replaced by Major Mateo Zabala, who currently serves in Casa Militar, an office under the presidency’s General Secretariat headed by Karina Milei. The personnel change comes as the government prepares to announce a pay increase for the armed forces that could approach 10 percent and begin in September.

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Victoria took off from Los Alerces National Park and returned to the same place. She did not leave from the regiment.