The Kremlin has appointed Alexander Vladimirovich Dvornikov to lead Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after its troops failed a series of setbacks.
A US official confirmed the move to the media on Sunday. Until now, Russia has not had a central military commander on the ground.
The appointment of the 60-year-old general has sparked predictions from the United States that he will commit more “war crimes” and “brutality” against Ukrainian civilians.
Jake Sullivan, a U.S. national security adviser, made the claim in an interview with CNN, but did not cite any evidence.
The general is known as the “butcher of Syria” for the destruction of his troops during the Syrian civil war, when Russia backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the fight against the rebels.
In 2015, Dvornikov became the first commander of the Russian army at the beginning of its participation in the Civil War – for which the following year he received the title “Hero of the Russian Federation.”
While he was leading Russian troops in Syria, approximately 10,000 bombings destroyed cities across the country – mainly Aleppo and Homs – and destroyed basic infrastructure such as hospitals and water sources.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alexander Dvornikov
(Alexei Nikolsky / Sputnik, photo of the Kremlin pool via AP)
In 2020, Vladimir Putin promoted Dvornikov to the rank of general.
Dvornikov has now been appointed in charge of military operations during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sir Roderick Line, Britain’s former ambassador to Russia, told Sky News that Russia had appointed Dvornikov “to try to gain at least some territory in Donetsk” in eastern Ukraine, which would be an achievement for the Putin regime.
Harry Kazanis, a US military analyst at the Center for National Interests, told the Telegraph: “I am afraid that Dvornikov has orders that if he cannot take over eastern Ukraine, he will turn it into a giant Aleppo.
An unnamed military analyst from Moscow said: “Dvornikov is known as a ruthless commander and will use tactics used in Syria, now in Ukraine. He was in Chechnya 20 years ago.
“It’s about liberating cities by turning them into ruins.”
Dvornikov reportedly was behind the attack on a train station in Kramatorsk earlier this week that killed at least 52 people, including five children, for which Russia has denied responsibility.
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