Now that the war clash between Russia and Ukraine has its epicenter in the south, but mostly in the east, in the Donbass territories, some General “win” what has been defined as the “last clash” before a ceasefire or, in any case, before the start of a third phase that is still difficult to predict. But who are the leaders of the two armies? On the Ukrainian side there is a wise man, the strategist behind all of Kiev’s military successes and in his current role appointed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last July to modernize Ukraine’s armed forces: the new name is Valery Saluzhnyi.
Who is the “iron general”
Born into a military family, childhood in his mother’s city of Chernihiv, as a child he dreamed of becoming even a simple soldier, but today he bears the nickname iron man, “Iron General or “indestructible as they call him back home, where they already consider him a hero. Zalushnyi embodies a generation of soldiers who have been preparing for allout war against Russia since 2014: they are the ones who have bitten their teeth in the Donbass for eight years and, when they were not at the front, trained in Europe with the forces of the Born. Out of these experiences has emerged a group of military professionals who, in recent weeks, have managed to oust Moscow’s armed forces with a more agile, decentralized and creative style of warfare, without the rigid Soviet approach of their predecessors. Unlike the generals, Zaluzhnyi does not like the international limelight he has ceded to President Zelenskyy since the beginning of the war. Hardly any interviews since February, hardly any public appearances, he only communicates with posts on his Facebook account with short operational updates alternating with messages of thanks to doctors, troops and the Ukrainian people.
who is “the butcher”
The general leading the Russian invaders is called Alexander Dvornikov, a highly decorated veteran, was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation in 2015 for leading the Russian military intervention in Syria. The change of strategy with the arrival of a single commander in charge of all operations was confirmed to the BBC by a senior official who asked not to be identified: “Dvornikov has tremendous experience from Russian operations in Syria to improve coordination of Russian forces in Ukraine “, he said. The turning point, according to international analysts, is a testament to Moscow’s frustration after a month and a half of fierce fighting did not bring the results the Kremlin hoped for: Kyiv was not taken, the Ukrainian government was not overthrown, the army already did not give up “The authority to command the entire special operation is therefore passed directly from Vladimir Putin to Dvornikov. The general, born in 1961, always appears next to the tsar or other soldiers in uniform. In Syria, he used attack patterns similar to those used in the war in Chechnya imitated, where he served as commander on several F launched offensives with guided and cluster bombs to devastate the cities and induce them to surrender.
General compared
What do you have in there? common the two generals leading their respective soldiers? Nothing at all. If Dvornikov has a resume drenched in the blood of the mercilessly massacred Syrian and Chechen civilians, Zaluzhnyi is the son of a military man who graduated with a gold medal from Odessa and the Kyiv Academy. As Repubblica recalls, in 2014 he led a brigade in Debaltseve, where one of the most dramatic and bloody battles for the Ukrainian armed forces was fought. Instead, Putin chose a 60yearold who is blatantly accused of using any hybrid weapon to achieve the goal: torture, chemical weapons, destruction of all forms of resistance at any cost.
“New Pages of Russian Brutality”
Dvornikov’s appointment did not go unnoticed and was commented on by United States in an extremely negative way. Accused of brutal methods in Sira in the past, “probably” we will have “another page of the same book of Russian brutality,” Pentagon spokesman said. John Kirby, emphasizing that “he and other Russian military leaders have shown their indifference to harming civilians, their disregard for the laws of war, armed conflict and the brutality with which they conduct their operations”. “We can say with certainty based on what we’ve seen in the past,” he concluded.
“Ineffectiveness of Moscow’s plans”
The appointment of General Alexander Dvornikov as war leader in Ukraine is further proof that the determination of the Ukrainian resistance and the ineffectiveness of Russian planning “forced Moscow to review its operations in the country, focusing the offensive on the Donbass”. : is the opinion of intelligence British, recalling how Moscow’s inability to coordinate military activities has hampered the invasion so far. The note was reported by London’s Ministry of Defense in its usual update on the situation in the country. The intelligence recalls Dvornikov’s experience leading Russia’s military intervention in Syria and his role since 2016 as commander of southern Russia’s military district bordering the Donbass region. And he confirms that with Dvornikov, Moscow is trying to “centralize” the command and control of operations.