Russian troops are regrouping towards eastern Ukraine. Now Putin has appointed a new general to coordinate the entire Russian offensive.
Moscow – The escalating conflict in Ukraine does not seem to be coming to an end any time soon. Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new military chief to direct the Russian offensive as a whole. General Alexander Dwornikov was already involved in the Syrian war. Putin awarded him Russian hero status for his service in Syria.
Ukraine war: who is Putin’s new planner Alexander Dvornikov?
To date, there has been no Russian military commanding the entire war. Of the Washington Post According to Dvornikov, he has extensive experience in the Donbass region around Donetsk and Luhansk. Much is unknown about the top military – however, his experience in eastern Ukraine and Syria should make him stand out for the task.
Mark Galeotti, honorary professor at University College London, said the Washington Post, Dovrnikov had already commanded troops in eastern Ukraine. According to the expert, the general is quite an influential figure in the Russian military. Dwornikov was also the first commander of the Russian armed forces in the Syrian war. At that time, similar attack patterns emerged as in the Ukraine in recent weeks. Indiscriminate bombings of civilian buildings and targeted attacks on hospitals have happened in Syria, just as they are happening now in Mariupol.
Ukraine War: The Story of Putin’s New General in Syria
Russia supported Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad when civil war raged in the country. Russian airstrikes in Syria helped Assad secure his rule. As the Washington Post reported, according to estimates by the London-based Airwars group, 25,000 Syrian civilians were killed in airstrikes between September 2015 and March 2022. Russia has denied any responsibility for the deaths of civilians.
The extent to which Alexander Dwornikov is responsible for Russia’s actions in Syria cannot be answered conclusively. However, it is said that the general has worked with the mercenary unit “Group Wagner” in the past. That should also have been active in Syria. According to Washington Post Syrian human rights activist Fadel Abdul Ghany Dvornikov sees as the coordinator of Russian airstrikes and the Wagner group’s ground troops in the Syrian war.
According to Galeotti, Dwornikov showed in Syria that for him “the mission comes first and he is willing to resort to harsh means to fulfill his mission.”
Dvornikov was appointed as a result of a reorganization of Russian units in Ukraine. For the time being, the Russian troops have withdrawn from the area around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and now allegedly want to concentrate on eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin explained that this restructuring is a measure to create new confidence. Experts, on the other hand, saw strategic motives behind Russia’s troop movements. (LP)
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