In this photo of the pool, taken on Thursday, March 17, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, poses with Colonel-General Alexander Dvornikov during an award ceremony in the Moscow Kremlin, Russia. (Alexei Nikolsky / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool / AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a new general to lead the war in Ukraine as his army changes plans after failing to take Kyiv, according to a US and European official.
Officials told CNN that General Alexander Dvornikov, commander of Russia’s Southern Military District, had been appointed commander of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
“This speaks to a Russian recognition that things are going extremely badly and they need to do something different,” 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 Donbass region instead of multiple fronts.
Dvornikov, 60, was the first commander of Russia’s 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 aircraft backed the Assad regime and its allies as they laid siege to rebel-held eastern Aleppo, bombing densely populated neighborhoods and causing heavy civilian casualties. The city fell into the hands of Syrian government forces in December 2016.
Russian forces have used a similarly brutal approach in parts of Ukraine, striking residential buildings in major cities and destroying much of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
“We will see how effective this will be,” said the European official. “Russian doctrine, Russian tactics remain almost as they were from Afghanistan.” “They do things the same old way,” the official added.
Military analysts and intelligence officials speculate that Russian generals aim to show Putin some progress on the battlefield ahead of Victory Day on May 9, when Russia watches Nazi Germany defeat and traditionally commemorates the parade. in Moscow. Red square.
The European official described it as a “self-imposed deadline” that could lead the Russians to make further mistakes.
But it could also potentially force Russian forces to commit more atrocities, as allegedly happened in the Kiev suburb of Bucha while under Russian occupation. “The stench of these war crimes will hang over these Russian armed forces for many years to come,” the official said.
Former UK ambassador to Russia Sir Roderick Line told Sky News on Saturday that Moscow had appointed a new general with a “rather wild reputation in Syria” to try to win at least some territory in Donetsk that Putin could portray as a victory. “.
The appointment of a new commander-in-chief for the Russian war in Ukraine could be an attempt to create a more cohesive strategy. CNN previously reported that Russia did not have a commander of the entire theater of operations in Ukraine, which means that parts of various Russian military districts acted without coordination, and sometimes with cross-cutting goals, according to two US defense officials.
Earlier, the United States estimated that Putin was likely to nominate a general whose forces are operating in southern Ukraine because Russians have occupied and held more territory there, as opposed to Russia’s attempts to encircle Kyiv and cities in northern Ukraine. recently completed a withdrawal.
The General Staff of Ukraine announced on Friday that Russian forces have completed their withdrawal from the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, while continuing to build up forces in the eastern part of the country.
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