Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new general to lead the war in Ukraine as his military shifts plans after a failure to take Kiev, according to a US official and a European official.
The officials told DailyExpertNews military that General Alexander Dvornikov, commander of Russia’s Southern Military District, has been appointed theatrical commander of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
“It speaks to a Russian acknowledgment that things are going extremely badly and they need to do something else,” the European official said.
A new theater commander with extensive combat experience could bring a level of coordination to an attack that is now expected to focus on the Donbas region, rather than on multiple fronts.
Dvornikov, 60, was the first commander of Russian military operations in Syria after Putin sent troops there in September 2015 to support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. During Dvornikov’s command in Syria from September 2015 to June 2016, Russian planes supported the Assad regime and its allies in the siege of rebel-held eastern Aleppo, bombing densely populated neighborhoods and causing large civilian casualties. The city fell to Syrian government forces in December 2016.
Russian forces have used a similar heavy-handed approach in parts of Ukraine, attacking residential buildings in major cities and demolishing much of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
“We’ll see how effective that proves to be,” the European official said. “Russian doctrine, Russian tactics remain much as they have been since Afghanistan.”
“They do things the same old way,” the official added.
Military analysts and US officials familiar with intelligence assessments have speculated that the Russian generals’ aim is to present Putin tangible progress on the battlefield ahead of Victory Day on May 9, when Russia observes Nazi Germany’s defeat. and traditionally marks the occasion with a parade in Moscow. Red square.
The European official described it as a “self-imposed deadline”, which could lead the Russians to make additional mistakes.
But it could also potentially lead to Russian troops committing more atrocities, as allegedly happened in the Kiev suburb of Bucha while under Russian occupation. “The stench of these war crimes will linger over these Russian armed forces for many years to come,” the official said.
Former British ambassador to Russia, Sir Roderic Lyne, told Sky News on Saturday that Moscow has appointed a new general with a “pretty ferocious record in Syria to try to capture at least some territory in Donetsk that Putin considered a victory.” could present.”
Appointing a new general commander for Russia’s war in Ukraine could be an effort to create a more cohesive strategy. DailyExpertNews previously reported that Russia had no commander for operations in Ukraine, meaning units from different Russian military districts have been uncoordinated and at times in conflict with each other, according to two US defense officials.
The US has previously estimated that Putin would likely name a general whose troops have been operating in southern Ukraine because the Russians have taken and occupied more territory there, unlike Russia’s attempt to encircle Kiev and cities in northern Ukraine. , an effort that recently ended with a withdrawal.
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Friday that Russian forces have completed their withdrawal from Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, while continuing to build troops in the east of the country.
