- Russia has reportedly appointed General Alexander Dvornikov to lead its invasion of Ukraine.
- Dvornikov became the first commander of Russian forces in Syria during the 2015 Russian intervention.
- The veteran general will reportedly be tasked with “improving coordination among Russian forces.”
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Russia is believed to have reorganized its military leadership in Ukraine and appointed General Alexander Dvornikov as its new commander, reports said.
Western officials told the BBC that Dvornikov, a general who played a significant role in Russia’s bombing of Syria, has been appointed to the helm by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Dvornikov was tasked with “improving coordination between Russian forces in Ukraine,” according to the newspaper.
The move comes as Russia realigns its strategy and shifted its focus to Ukraine’s Donbass region after its invasion stalled across much of the country.
The Kremlin hopes that the veteran Alexander Dvornikov, who is currently commander of Russia’s Southern Military District, can restore the honor of the Russian army after it was mangled en route to Kyiv.
Russian forces have suffered heavy casualties since the start of their invasion of Ukraine and reports suggest morale is declining.
A veteran of the bloody Russian campaign in Syria
Dvornikov enlisted in the Soviet Army in 1978 and subsequently commanded several regiments of the Russian military.
In September 2015, he became the first commander of Russian forces in Syria during Putin’s military intervention in support of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Dvornikov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, the country’s highest military decoration, in 2016 for his leadership in Syria.
A UN investigation into atrocities committed in Syria found that Russia was partially responsible for war crimes for indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas without “a specific military objective”.
After his time in Syria, Dvornikov was appointed commander of the Southern Military District.
A report by the Institute for the Study of War states that Dvornikov used his experience in Syria to “reorganize the Southern Military District into a joint force grouping capable of operating effectively on land, sea and air “.
Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by Ukrainian forces on the side of the road in the Lugansk region on February 26, 2022. ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images
The change in leadership could be seen as “a sign of Russian weakness,” Gwythian Prins, an expert on military strategy who advises NATO, told the BBC.
Prins noted that Russia has lost several of its top commanders in Ukraine, including Colonel Andrei Mordvichev and Lieutenant General Yakov Rezantsev.
“So yes, they’ve brought someone who is a well-known bombardier, they’ve come back from the failed strategy of the blitzkrieg that was supposed to take place and they’ve now gone back to terrorizing people through debris – and Mr Dvornikov is into such.” things very well,” said Prins.
Ukrainian leaders and Western experts believe that Russia is ready to launch a new offensive in Donbass in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Friday that a conflict could lead to the biggest war in centuries.
Speaking to the German newspaper BILD, which is owned by Insider’s parent company Axel Springer, Zelenskyi predicted fierce fighting in the coming days.
“There could be a big war in Donbass – the likes of which the world has not seen for hundreds of years,” he told BILD reporter Paul Ronzheimer.
“We will defend our country to the end,” said the Ukrainian president.